17 going on 28?
by samlover14
Summary: The sequel to the Board of Secrets and Middle School Musical. 10 years from now, everything's different. Troy's forgotten everything in his adult life, and he wants to right his wrongs. TRYAN. Chaylor, Jelsi, Zekepay, and minor Troypay. Others as well.
1. Prologue

**A/N: OMG. Hi, guys. How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm better than fine, because I'm posting this! Yays! Anyway, you're supposed to be confused, but, please, by all means leave me a review saying so, even though everyone short of my mom and possibly my sister will be. I present to you the prologue to my new story. :) Oh, and the rest of the story will be in Troy's point of view, this is just a weird prologue telling what happens the night before the story starts. I hope I haven't said too much.**

**

* * *

**Little Maddie Bolton, age 9, checked to make sure her bedroom door was locked for the eighth time before crawling into her closet and shutting that door too. She took the cell phone from her pocket that she'd bought a couple months earlier for this express purpose. She dialed ten digits and carefully held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" whispered the intended answerer.

"Hey," she whispered back. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. What about you?"

"Oh, every day's the same. How's Santa Fe?"

"Same as usual. Dad sold the restaurant a couple weeks ago, but he signed the papers today."

"Oh, cool. You think he might come back soon?"

"If he was, do you think we'd have to talk like this?"

"Someday, I swear, I'm gonna go downstairs and say 'Mom, Dad, I call Chris every Friday night at 8:30 while you're watching TV. Even though I'm not supposed to.'," Maddie declared.

"I don't think my dad cares. Or, he wouldn't if he knew you knew Mom isn't your real mom," Chris replied.

"Sharpay would flip if she knew I knew that."

"So, you ready to do this?"

"May as well. Why today?"

"Because you were conceived ten years ago last night. You don't want to mess up and make it so you don't exist," Chris stated logically.

"What about you?" Maddie asked. "You're my best friend, and practically like a brother to me. I couldn't live without you."

"Don't worry. This won't affect me. I promise. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Maddie took a deep breath and lit the lighter she'd also had in her pocket and used it to light the candle on the floor of the large walk-in closet she was sitting in. "Got your candle lit?"

"Yep."

"This had better work."

"It'll work. This girl in my class read it in a book, and she says it works."

"Okay, okay."

"Now, who do you want this to affect?" Chris asked in an official tone.

"My dad. Troy David Bolton," Maddie replied clearly.

"And the length?"

"Ten years."

"Why?"

"Because this isn't what he wanted for himself. And he's my dad. I want him to be happy."

"And this will make him happy?"

"More than anything else."

"Then Troy Bolton is 17…going on 28." There was a silence but for the eerie chill and slight draft blowing out the candle, coming from nowhere in the completely enclosed closet.

"Did your candle just blow out?" Maddie whispered.

"Yeah. Yours?"

"Yeah. This is scary."

"I'm cold," Chris said. Maddie shivered.

"Me too."

"Well, I think it worked. You'll know tomorrow. Call me at 7:30, okay?"

"Okay. My parents are going to a party, so we can talk more."

"See if you can talk the guys into bringing you with them when they come up next weekend."

"They guys are coming up?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah. Dad bought a TV. I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"Bye."

"Bye." Maddie hung up her phone and sighed. Chris could be very frustrating sometimes. He was convinced that this silly second grade magic worked. And to his credit, it was spooky. But Maddie had the intelligence of her mother – her real mother, not Sharpay – and she knew magic was just a whole bunch of luck interspersed with random chance.

Maddie opened the door from her closet into her room and crawled out, carefully shutting the door behind her. She went over to the safe she'd found in the wall of her room when she was six and placed the phone, lighter, and candle – all things she wasn't supposed to have – inside it and closed the door securely. After replacing the dresser very quietly, she climbed into bed. It was a risky plan, but if it worked, it would solve the problem. The problem that was becoming more and more like a black hole type vortex thing everyday. But now all would be better. Assuming second grade magic worked when cast by third graders.

* * *

Across town, Chuckie Brown, age 27, was doodling in his notebook, waiting for his plane to board. His boyfriend of…a really long time, had bought him tickets to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, which was tomorrow. And it didn't really bother him that going to Ireland meant missing Troy's birthday. Except for it did.

"What'cha doing?" Justin asked, plopping into the seat next to him.

"Nothing," Chuckie said, trying to flip his notebook closed, but Justin had seen.

"Lyrics _again_? What song is it this time?"

"Nothing," Chuckie mumbled, beginning to doodle on the front cover. But Justin was stronger than him (it had something to do with him being two years older), and flipped the notebook back open to the right page.

"_One Wish_ by Ray J?" Justin asked, rolling his eyes. "That song is so old. What are you doing, anyway?"

"Writing a letter. Sort of," Chuckie replied. In truth, he was drafting the apologetic email he'd have to write to Troy about being in Ireland. Justin just laughed to himself, and licked some more ice cream off his ice cream cone.

_Troy. Justin gave me tickets to_

No. Wrong.

_Troy, I'm in Ireland. And it's just your too bad that my boyfriend is cooler than you._

Nope. Wrong.

_Hey, Troy. Sorry I missed your birthday, Justin surprised me with tickets to Ireland for St. Patty's Day._

Geez, generic.

_If I had one wish we would be best friends  
Love would never end it would just begin  
If I had one wish you would be my boo  
Promise to love you trust me I'll trust you  
_

Pointless. He decided to use the generic one, but the plane began to board.

"C'mon, Chucks, let's go. Tomorrow morning, which is really tomorrow afternoon we'll be in Ireland," Justin said, pulling Chuckie out of his chair.

"Mhm," Chuckie grunted. "Land of whiskey and love. I got it."

"You don't want to go?" Justin asked.

"No, of course I do."

"You don't want to go with me?"

"Of course I do. I'll just miss home is all. We haven't taken a trip since–"

"Yeah, I know. They'll be fine. Kelsi's really good with them, and Toni promised to look in while we were away," Justin said. Toni was Justin's younger sister. She was about Dylan Bolton's age, 24.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want something bad to happen while we're not here."

"Nothing bad will happen. I promise you," Justin said. Chuckie gave up protesting and boarded the plane.

* * *

Ryan Evans, also age 27, was sitting in the living room that he liked to refer to as his own, since he paid for it, but it would never really belong to him.

"Okay, so go back," Ryan said. "Drew's coming this weekend?"

"No, next weekend," Gabriella replied. "So there's no excuse for you not coming to Chad's party tomorrow night."

"Besides the fact that it's actually Troy's party at Chad's house, and that Troy will be there?" Ryan said.

"You can't avoid him forever," Gabriella said. "Maybe you'll get really lucky and he'll decide to be civil."

"Yeah, right," Ryan said. "If anyone should be angry, you'd think it would be me."

"He has a right to be angry to," Gabriella said.

"Whatever," Ryan said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.

"So, it's just us this weekend?"

"I should hope so. I don't know how many more unexpected visitors we can take."

"If no one's coming over, we really should get the house cleaned. It's been a while since we had it done." Ryan nodded his approval of this plan.

"I've been meaning to talk to Kelsi about the next musical, anyway."

"Isn't it going to be RENT?"

"Yep. Finally convinced the theater to splurge on the rights. It's gonna be so awesome. You should try out."

"Maybe I will."

"You'd make a great Mimi," Ryan teased.

"Thanks, Ryan. That's exactly what every girl wants to hear," Gabriella replied sardonically.

"I'm just saying. We'd have a lot of fun…doing it together." Gabriella giggled. "Gabriella, get your mind out of the gutter."

"Oh, like you didn't go there," she replied. Ryan smiled.

"Okay, I did, but that's _so_ not what I meant."

"I should hope not. I have a _boyfriend_."

"Yeah, so did I," Ryan muttered.

"Ryan. Let it go. That was ten years ago."

"I know. I know. I'm not even mad. About that."

"Give it up already. Troy's a big boy and he can do whoever he wants."

"Aren't we a little old for such humor?"

"Never. But you're still coming to the party tomorrow night."

"Over my dead body."

* * *

Nick Danforth, age 5, ran around his living room, annoying his parents very much.

"Nicholas Danforth, if you don't stop running around his living room this instant," his father began.

"Chad," Taylor scolded.

"Fine. Nick, if you go to bed right now, I'll let you go to the Cross's tomorrow night," Chad bribed.

"Really?" Nick asked, immediately ceasing his running.

"Yes," Chad said. "Now get to bed." Nick ran out of the living room. "I thought he'd never go."

"He's just going through a phase," Taylor said. "Ashley and Zac are having it too. Doesn't really affect Sharpay that much."

"If she spent more time with her kids it would," Chad replied. "She's almost worse than her own parents. And you know she would be if Troy didn't keep her grounded. All that money, they could fly to Tahiti every other day and still not spend it all before they die."

"Don't be like that. You know she counts her blessings every day," Taylor said. She was poring over some important legal documents that needed her approval. Her dream of becoming the president of the United States of America not yet crushed, she was an important lawyer for civil and equal rights campaigns for minorities, especially those of gender, race, or sexual orientation. In other words, she fought for equal rights. It didn't really hurt things that she was a state senator in New Mexico and that she was changing laws as fast as she could. President was a reachable goal.

"She doesn't have any blessings," Chad said. He was watching a basketball game on TV. After living out his dream of playing hoops, he'd gone to medical school and become an important doctor. He had his own private practice, but helped out the needy and monetarily inconvenienced at the hospital quite frequently. "She's like Satan."

"Chad," Taylor reprimanded again. "You know she has plenty."

"Yeah, the first of which being that Ryan hasn't killed her yet." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Ryan would never kill his own sister. He's too nice. I don't think he'd kill anyone."

"You've obviously never seen him angry."

"I have, actually. I still don't think he'd kill anyone. Did you order the cake for Troy's party?"

"Yeah. I'll pick it up tomorrow when I go to get the alcohol and beers." Taylor smiled.

"Good plan. Maybe we can convince Nick he really wants to decorate."

"Maybe we can convince Troy he doesn't want it to be decorated."

"That sounds better actually."

* * *

Jason Cross, also, unbelievably, age 27, was sitting in a recliner in his living room, also, unbelievably, watching the same basketball game. He was also looking over some important business documents.

"Kels, what does this one mean?" Jason asked, pointing at a word on the page.

"I told you to just hire an accountant to do the taxes," Kelsi said. "I don't know what it means."

"I don't know any accountants," Jason said. "That's why I'm doing it."

"Get H&R Block," Holly Brown, age 6, suggested. She was sitting on the rug in front of the TV. "They're the people." Jason blinked in her direction, then found his brain again.

"Yeah, okay," he said. He piled all the papers again. "Who's winning?"

"The Lakers," Holly said. "Duh."

"Duh," her brother, Chase, age almost 3, added.

"Kels, did you–" Jason began.

"Toni is babysitting tomorrow night for the party," Kelsi replied to the unasked question. She was sitting at the piano in the corner of the living room, plinking out some new song.

"Aunt Toni's coming? Excellent," Holly exclaimed. "Give me five." Chase slapped her hand. "Awesome."

"Yes," Kelsi said. "She's going to help us babysit while Chuckie and Justin are in Ireland."

"I want to go to Ireland," Holly said. "They have the coolest stuff there."

"Like what?" Chase asked.

"Green beer," Holly said.

"Holly!" Kelsi scolded. "Don't give your brother ideas."

"They do have green beer there," Jason said. "I saw it on the Travel Channel."

"And I was helping," Holly added. "Chase lost the remote."

"Yeah, I'm sure the 35-month old lost the remote," Kelsi said. Holly sighed. She was bored.

"I can is come help with piano?" she asked.

"Yes. And I told you not to talk like that," Kelsi said. Holly went over to the piano and started plinking out the melody line for her favorite of all Kelsi's songs, You Are The Music In Me.

* * *

Troy Bolton, age 27 (for a couple more hours), climbed into his bed.

"Oh, crap," Sharpay exclaimed from the bathroom.

"What?" Troy asked.

"I forgot to make sure the nanny is on for tomorrow night," Sharpay said. There was a pause and a spitting noise, and then her voice came more clearly. "I'll do it in the morning."

"Uh-huh," Troy said sleepily.

"And we have to have lunch with your parents," Sharpay said. "Dylan and Becca are going to be there too. So you should be on your best behavior."

"Why do I care how I act around Dylan and Becca?" Troy asked. Sharpay rolled her eyes and walked into the bedroom.

"Because your _parents_ are going to be there. It's like a big reunion," Sharpay said. "We'll probably end up taking the kids to that. I'm pretty sure your sister said you should wear the tie she got you for Christmas. And I think I remember Maddie saying something about a group project that they had to do together."

"It's nice that Maddie and Jenny can be friends," Troy mumbled. "Shush. I'm sleeping." Sharpay rolled her eyes and climbed into bed as well.

Troy rolled over trying to get comfortable. Little did he know why he was so sleepy all of a sudden. His whole life was about to change. And he wouldn't even remember…because he was, after all, 17 going on 28.

* * *

–roll Star Wars like credits–

**17 Going on 28?  
****The sequel to the Board of Secrets  
A High School Musical fanfiction by samlover14**

**Coming soon to the internet near you.**

Critics rave about the third installment of this saga.

"A+" says mother.

"Hilarious!" says roommate.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing your homework?" asks father.

"I'm so confused," says grandmother, "I thought Troy was with Gabriella…"

"Why do you try to make me out as the bad guy?" asks Chuckie. "You don't know the half of my life."

"Shush," says Samantha. "Just read the story."

* * *

**A/N: The newest Board of Secrets story is here! Please read and review. :D**

**Samantha.**

**PS, LOL, everyone actually did say that. Except Chuckie. Because he doesn't exist. But my mother thought that critics bit was the funniest part of the story. I really hope she's wrong.  
**


	2. Chapter 1: Confusion and Reconciliation

**A/N: -cringes- Don't hurt me! Sorry for the wait...**

**

* * *

**I woke up on what I thought should have been a sunny Sunday morning during my senior year of high school. I had just had my 18th birthday party, and I have to say, I should have woken up with the worst hangover in the world, next to my wonderful boyfriend, Ryan Evans. In short, I was supposed to be happy. I rolled over in bed, yawned and tried to go back to sleep, but there was an alarm going off. I reached around with my arm and managed to make it stop. Why was an alarm going off on a Sunday? I sat up in bed and was confused. This wasn't Ryan's room. There was too much pink. How the hell did I get in Sharpay's room? Must have drank more than I thought.

I looked around the room, and either this _wasn't_ Sharpay's room, or she'd seriously rearranged it since I'd been in it last, which should have been the day before yesterday. I went in search of a bathroom, because that's the first thing that came to mind. Fortunately, there was a door leading to one right there in the bedroom. I went in there, and was immediately freaked out by how pink it was. Sharpay and Ryan's bathroom wasn't that pink. In fact, I think it was purple. I took the mistake of looking in the mirror, and I almost freaked again. There I was, staring at myself in the mirror, but older. Like, a lot older. A lot older than I should have been.

I ran away from the stupid mirror playing tricks on me. I rummaged around the room. My pants must have been in there somewhere, since I'd slept there. To my surprise, I found a closet full (well, not full) of clothes that would fit me. That was weird. Was this Sharpay and Ryan's idea of a practical joke? I don't like pink, hello! I got dressed and looked for my personal effects that I might have. I found a wallet and a cell phone, both claiming to belong to myself. I didn't think so, but you can't argue with a license. But then more pressing issues brought me back to earth. I opened the cell phone. It was super high tech, even more than an iPhone, and I couldn't understand how to work it. I managed to get the time and date off of it, though, mostly because they were right there. Saturday, March 17, 2018. Hey, it's my birthday! My 28th birthday. Wait, what? Not a very funny practical joke. Maybe there was someone else in the house who knew what was going on.

I left my bedroom (or _the_ bedroom, at any rate) and walked downstairs, vaguely realizing that this was, indeed, the Evans' mansion, just the other side of it, that I'd never been to before. I stared at the pictures on the walls as I walked. They were new. Everyone looked older. I'm not a fan of practical jokes, either, just FYI. There were pictures of me, and Sharpay, and Ryan, and Gabriella, and all our friends, but also three new people I didn't recognize. There was a girl, who looked about nine in the more recent pictures, brown hair and brown eyes, and a boy and a girl, who looked about four, both blond haired and blue eyed, or at least they turned up most often. I wondered who they were. Maybe they were relatives of the Evanses, I'd never had the pleasure to meet. I'd never been on that side of the house before. A little further on, there were framed birth certificates right there on the wall. "Madeline Caitlin Bolton" born December 17, 2008. "Ashley Michelle Bolton" and "Zachary Trevor Bolton" born September 29, 2013. Um…what? Still not laughing. Although there was a possibility that this was not a joke. I continued across the living room and into the dining room, where I saw, to my horror, although not altogether surprise, Sharpay Evans.

"Good morning, honey," Sharpay said. I wasn't really sure what to do or say. "I made your coffee." Okay, it's getting weirder. Sharpay called me honey, but I'm used to that. She usually doesn't get up this early though. She can make coffee, though, I've seen her do it before.

"Uh, thanks," I said. I took the mug she was offering. I looked around the room. There wasn't anything particularly out of place, besides the serious lack of hung over Wildcats. A bulletin board was the most noticeable of the changes. It was mounted sort of near the toaster, and it had, like, papers on it, you know, the type that normal parents would put on the refrigerator, drawings and A plusses, and things like that. Odd, certainly, but no cause for alarm.

"So, I made sure the nanny is on for tonight," Sharpay said.

"Um, good," I replied, even though I had no idea what she was talking about.

"And I picked out your outfit," she continued. "I thought maybe you'd wear that shirt I got you for Christmas."

"Um, where are we going, again?" I asked.

"Your birthday party –slash– St. Patrick's Day blowout at Chad's tonight?" she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Duh?" Okay. That made some sense, I guess, if it was my birthday. "Which reminds me. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," I said. At that moment, two blond heads ran past me into the kitchen. Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"They are _so_ your kids. Evanses don't go near kitchens," she said.

"Yeah," I agreed. I didn't really have anything to say. I didn't really know what to do. Hilarious practical joke, indeed. Sharpay wasn't _that _good an actress. She couldn't pull this one off. I came with a thump to the only logical explanation left: I was suddenly missing ten years of my life! It was so not cool. A third kid came into the dining room and slumped into the seat next to mine.

"Happy Birthday, Dad," she said.

"Good morning, Maddie," Sharpay said. "Do try to be more of a morning person."

"Because you were such a morning person when you were younger?" Maddie shot back, sleepily. Sharpay just went back to her coffee. Being a mom sure had changed her. The two blond kids emerged from the kitchen with plates, closely followed by the cook, carrying platters of food for the traditional Evans breakfast buffet. Some things never change.

"Ashley, Zac, say happy birthday to your father," Sharpay instructed.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy," the twins chorused. They were adorable. And they were mine_._ I had always wanted to have kids. I was never going to be able to though. Occupational hazard of being gay, I suppose. How had Sharpay snagged me? And what happened to Ryan? Perhaps I would find out at this party that I had to go to.

"Thanks kids," I said. I helped myself to the food in the middle of the table. There is no better way to start your day than by breakfast at the Evans' Mansion.

After breakfast, the twins retreated upstairs, and I heard them giggling over the show tunes they had playing. Maddie had skulked into a room that I seem to remember might have been a library. I ignored all the weird things going on, and tried not to freak out. I went ferreting around the main hallway looking for more clues to my past that I had forgotten. I looked back at the birth certificates. Man, my eyes almost bugged out of my head when Maddie's read "Mother: Gabriella Montez." Trust me, yours would have too. I quickly scanned Ashley and Zac's, but theirs read "Mother: Sharpay Evans." I wandered down the hall in search of a marriage certificate, but didn't find one. I did find another birth certificate that looked like it was hiding, however. It read "Christopher Matthew Baylor". Born July 3, 2010. He was Sharpay and Zeke's son, according to the certificate, although there was no physical evidence of either Zeke or Christopher living in the house. I did find a really cute picture of Maddie and someone I assumed to be Chris together though.

I went upstairs after that to look around in my sock drawer. For an engagement ring. Perhaps I was planning on proposing. That's what they do on TV, right? Nothing. What did Sharpay want? And what happened to my Ryan? Why wasn't he there with us? Did he have a wife and kids of his own? Did he have a husband or a boyfriend? I didn't know. There was nothing around the house that would tell me, and I couldn't just ask someone, they'd think I was crazy. I couldn't just tell anyone that I skipped ten years of my life, either. I saw _13 going on 30_. (I know what you're thinking. Ryan and I saw it together. It's a good movie, I really suggest it.) People would think I was crazy. I figured I had better research my personal thoughts and such.

I set off to the other side of the house where Sharpay and Ryan's bedrooms had been when we were in high school. I found that Ryan's bedroom now served as Maddie's, and that Sharpay's…looked exactly the same. The noises coming from Ashley and Zac were coming from down the hall, where I knew there were more bedrooms. I retreated to the living room, where Sharpay was sitting, and collapsed onto a couch.

"What'cha been doing?" she asked.

"Reminiscing," I said. It was partially true anyways.

"Ah," she said. She sipped some more coffee.

"How many cups of that have you had?" I asked, curiously.

"I always have two cups in the morning," she said.

"You didn't used to," I said. She never ever drank coffee at all that I could remember. She said it was gross and turned your teeth yellow.

"Memory Lane is a dangerous place to be wandering," she said cryptically. I suddenly wondered what I did for a job and hoped no one asked before I could find a business card. "We're having lunch with your family today, remember?"

"I-What? Okay," I said. My parents had been, well, let's just say, I'd moved out almost two weeks ago, 2008-time. But, I suppose, if there was 10 years missing, we would have made up eventually, right? More pieces of the puzzle to put together.

"Your sister says she wants you to wear the pink tie she gave you," Sharpay said. Sharpay's insane, I don't have a sister. Or, at least, I didn't.

"That's…fantastic," I said. She didn't even look up from her newspaper. "Anything interesting in the paper?"

"Nah," she said, tossing me the Arts and Leisure section. Evidently I like to read the Arts and Leisure section. I opened it and started reading. There were the typical articles about the shows that would be playing in the area through the week, but there was a certain article that caught my eye. _Evans Family Shines in Roles Big and Small_. Accompanying it was a picture of Sharpay, Ryan, Maddie, Ashley, and Zac. "Hey, Shar, you're in the newspaper."

"I know," she said. I read the article. It was about Sharpay, Ryan, and the kids, and how they had all just starred in a new musical at the local theatre. One quote stood out in my mind: "Troy Bolton, boyfriend and father, said, 'They did great, I'm sure. Sharpay has always graced the stages, ever since we were in kindergarten. The kids are great, too. They'll be on Broadway for sure when they grow up.' Mr. Bolton refused comment on why he didn't star in the musical as well, as he was known for such things (as well as basketball) in high school." There was no mention of Ryan in my quote. Did Ryan and I not speak anymore? That would have been odd. I loved Ryan more than life itself; why wasn't I with him anymore? How could I possibly settle for his sister? She was so…ick.

"Listen to this quote," I said, reading the quote to Sharpay.

"So?" Sharpay said. "I'm sure they will."

"You don't think it's a little odd?" I asked, trying to get to the point without saying it.

"No," she said. "Are you feeling okay? Should we cancel lunch?"

"No," I said. "I'm fine." I wasn't fine, though, I was freaking out. I needed Ryan back, that was the bottom line, no questions asked. I needed Ryan back no matter what. I kept reading the article to see if it said anything about him, what he was doing, where he lived. Nothing. Well, that just about summed it up. I couldn't wait for Chad's party.

Lunch with the family turned out all right. Turns out my parents had another kid. (Say it with me: Ick.) A girl named Jennifer, or Jenny as they called her. My brother, Dylan, had been there with his girlfriend, Becca. Him having a girlfriend was a new thing for me, cuz I was used to him being 14, but then again, me having a girlfriend was new for me (or, well, not really, cuz I had Gabriella, but you know what I mean).

After dinner, Sharpay laid out my clothes on the bed and proceeded to hog the bathroom, so I got dressed and went down the hall to try and find another one. As I did, I noticed a picture on a wall inside one of the rooms. It was Ryan and me from the Senior Musical (or it must have been, cuz I didn't remember that). I walked into the room and almost gasped.

There were pictures of me and my friends from high school on every wall, except for one, which read "Troy and Ryan, August 2007, Love Forever". Ryan and I must have put that there, but why was it still there? And why was there at least an inch of dust on every surface? Looking around the shelves in the room, there was a yearbook, our senior yearbook. I took it down and looked through it. Ryan and I had been voted the class couple. What had happened to us? Sharpay looked great as ever with her many awards. Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Jason, Kelsi, Zeke, Martha, even Sarah and Chuckie, they were all in pictures with us, smiling. There was no explanation as to why I was with Sharpay now. I would just have to wait until someone decided to tell me. It was my birthday after all. Maybe someone would get drunk and let it slip.

I looked over the other artifacts in the room, trying not to get too dusty, because Sharpay would freak. There was mostly just pictures, but there was a small cedar box on a desk in the corner. I dusted it off, and it read: "Troy + Ryan = TLA" TLA stands for True Love Always. I opened the box and found some pictures of the two of us together, but underneath there was a note. It looked pretty old, and it was very faded. I pocketed it to read some other time. I suddenly remembered what I had been doing in that room anyway, and quickly left it to find a bathroom to do my hair in.

* * *

The party wasn't as hopping as I remembered them being. It was mostly just Chad's house, full of a whole bunch of people I didn't recognize. Oh, and alcohol, and cake, and other things that a birthday party –slash– St. Patrick's Day blowout entails. As soon as I was through the door, I started looking around for Ryan or Gabriella, or _someone_ I could talk to. Bringing the issue up with Sharpay didn't seem like such a good idea. Unfortunately, the first person to find me was Chad, who took me to meet some new friends of his. Golfing friends, maybe. I gathered that Chad and Taylor were now Dr. and Senator Danforth, and I didn't exactly find that surprising. (Chad was the doctor, and Taylor was the Senator…state senator.) I had been at the party around half an hour when Gabriella showed up…with Ryan. I almost freaked out right there. Things were screwed up, and I was so confused. She lost him, however, on her way over to Sharpay and me, and I was disappointed.

"Happy Birthday, Troy," Gabriella said.

"Thanks," I said, trying to mask my disappointment.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"Nothing," I lied.

"He's been acting strange all day," Sharpay said. "Come on walk with me." She pulled Gabriella off into another room. I wondered if I really wanted to talk to Ryan, because it seemed that something went terribly wrong in our relationship somewhere along the path. He, however, just ambled over to me after the girls left.

"Happy Birthday," he half-mumbled, looking at the ground.

"Thanks, Ry," I said, breaking into the first real smile I'd worn all day. He looked up at me, evidently surprised at something (he says it was the use of the nickname "Ry"). Then, he put his head back down, looked at the floor, and went to leave. "Ryan," I said. He turned around and looked at me. "Are you okay?" He shrugged. "Do you wanna talk or something?" He shrugged again and we went up the stairs to find a room to talk in. We ended up in Chad and Taylor's bedroom.

"So…" he said.

"So…" I repeated. He just looked at me. "Can I ask you something?" He shrugged a third time. "Remember that time we were watching 13 going on 30?"

"And you thought it was ridiculous and the concept was so overdone," he said. "But then you remarked about how her boyfriend was hot and you'd like to get with that, but I said that Matt was kind of cute too, and then we looked all around the house for Razzles, but didn't find any."

"You remember all that?" I asked.

"A midnight search through the house for Razzles is kind of unforgettable," he said. "So what about it?"

"This is going to sound really weird, but…the same thing happened to me," I said, lamely. He just stared at me. "You don't believe me. I figured no one would. But–"

"No, I believe you," he said. "Compulsive liar or not…but…you're really thirteen? Well, that doesn't make any sense, because we didn't watch the movie and go midnight Razzle-hunting until we were–"

"Seventeen," I finished. "The last thing I remember is my 18th birthday party, and then I woke up this morning and I have three kids and a sister and a girlfriend…and it's all very messed up and confused."

"Yeah, I was too," Ryan mumbled.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. You want me to help you remember your life?" he asked.

"Yes, please," I said. "I'm so confused."

"I wouldn't know where to begin," he said, rolling his eyes.

"You could start with why I live with Sharpay and three kids," I suggested. "You have to know that."

"Uh, long story short…you got Gabriella pregnant on accident because you were drunk. Really drunk," he began. I snorted, because that was typical us behavior. "And she decided to keep it and give it to us. But that didn't exactly work out and Maddie stayed yours and Gabriella's kid because the state adoption people wouldn't let me adopt her. Assholes."

"Gabriella and I have joint custody?" I asked. It seemed odd that she would give her child to me, without a secure plan in place.

"I don't know," Ryan said. "Probably not, because Maddie thinks that Sharpay's her mother, so I don't think so. I mean, legally, yeah, I guess. But we don't really go over to you guys' house a lot anymore."

"So, Maddie was Gabriella's, and now she's not and I'm a stupid loser?" I asked. Ryan nodded. It sounded about right. "What about Ashley and Zac?"

"They're yours and Sharpay's as far as I know," Ryan said, "which isn't a lot."

"What do you mean? What happened to you? And us?" I asked.

"Troy…it was a long time ago. It doesn't matter," he replied vaguely after sighing. That's code for "it matters, but I don't feel like telling you." "We moved on. You're with Sharpay, and I have Gabriella…"

"Whoa, hold the phone. You're with _Gabriella_? As in Gabriella _Gabi_, my Gabi, as in the girl I met on vacation in Colorado, and is sitting in a room downstairs chatting with your sister?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yeah," Ryan said, looking at the floor. "Well, no, technically. I'm not with her. I just have her. We went to college together. Well, and Kelsi, but she took your side." He scoffed, seeming to remember that argument.

"C'mon, Ry, I know you're not telling me everything," I said.

"So, maybe you shouldn't know everything," he said. "Like for example the exact wording of the last fight we had."

"Which was?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," he insisted, leaning back against the pillows and yawning. "I don't care. I learned a long time ago to not let anything you say go to heart."

"Anything I say? At all?" I asked. That was sad.

"No. Nothing," he said.

"Oh come on," I said. "Surely I've said something that you've taken to heart."

"You called me a 'son of a bitch abandoner' at one point," Ryan said.

"I said _that_?" I asked. It was so mean.

"Yeah," he said. "And then Chad said something about beer, and it was bad for a while."

"I'm…sorry," I said. "I didn't mean it. I don't know what I was thinking. And I also apologize for anything I might have done to hurt you, physically or emotionally."

"Troy, stop it," Ryan said. "You didn't hurt me. And even if you had, at least you didn't throw a dollhouse at me."

"A dollhouse?" I asked.

"From the movie," he said. Duh. He shrugged. "Speaking of which, any special wishing powder around, or did you just wake up like this?"

"I just woke up," I said. "And it couldn't be a dream. If it is, it's a horrible one. And not good at all. And I already ruled out hideous practical joke. I'm sad. I can't believe I said that to you. That's so mean. I mean, even if it was technically true, which I doubt–"

"It's true," Ryan said. "I am, indeed, a son of a bitch, and an abandoner."

"Are you insulting your mother?" I asked. I had met her before, and I thought she was nice.

"Kind of," Ryan said. "Not really. You're the one that said it, not me."

"Well, I'm sorry," I said.

"You don't have be," Ryan said.

"Of course I do," I said.

"Don't interrupt me," Ryan said. "You don't have to be. But at least you are. If we'd've had this conversation yesterday, you probably wouldn't have been."

"I know," I said. "I'm some kind of major jerk. How'd I manage to get out of that wedding to Sharpay that she's been planning since you guys were conceived?"

"She was pregnant then," Ryan said.

"Oh," was all I thought of to say.

"You know, I always got the feeling you never really liked her anyways," Ryan said, nostalgically.

"I liked _you_," I said. "Or at least, I think I did. What else happened? I get the feeling you're not telling me everything."

"Well…" he said. He was hiding something, I was sure of it. "If you don't know, then you're probably better off not knowing."

"What?" I asked. I was very curious.

"It's nothing," Ryan said.

"Fine," I said. "I'll never get the truth out of you. Who's Christopher?"

"Zeke's son," Ryan said, matter-of-factly. "He doesn't live with you guys. Zeke takes care of him now."

"Wonderful," I said. "Another failed relationship."

"Enh, it was doomed from the start," Ryan said.

"It was not! They were adorable together," I said. Ryan shrugged.

"As annoying as you are, I think I've actually missed this," he said. He cocked his head to the side, thinking about what he'd said. "Not that I've actually– What I mean to say is…"

"It's okay," I said. "I missed you, too, even though I technically just saw you last night…and…well, I woke up this morning, and you weren't there, I was really sad. Then my bathroom was pink, and Sharpay was in the dining room, and I had three kids, and I missed you even more."

"You can't have possibly missed me more than I missed you," Ryan said. "We haven't talked in, like, eight…seven…three years…I don't know."

"I'd say that everything is going to be okay again," I said, "but I can't see how it possibly could be. There's so much going on. Tell me about Gabriella."

"Nothing much," he said. "We're roommates, basically. We went to college together, and it just kind of stuck when we moved back home. She has this boyfriend…Drew…. He's supposed to be visiting this weekend."

"Huh," I said. "Well, I can see you're a much better person than me." He snorted, as if not believing that. "When did I…change?"

"I can't really peg it to one specific date," Ryan said. "I mean, I guess you could say that it all just spiraled from your 18th birthday party, when you got totally trashed, had sex with Gabriella, and then couldn't remember it the next morning–"

"Not that that's a big accomplishment," I said. "It seems to happen a lot."

"This about you, not about what Gabriella and I did in high school," Ryan said.

"Right, sorry, go on," I said.

"And then you were just…different," Ryan continued. "You got back together with Gabriella for a while…that was in high school. We got back together after that. But then…you just did some weird stuff. I never would have thought you'd…well, I guess being a father changes people, but…it was too much. And then after I left, I don't know…different."

"What do you mean, different?" I asked.

"I don't know. Different. But, it was just never the same. You were never the same," Ryan said. "And now you're just…weird."

"They do say that fatherhood changes you," I remarked. "Sharpay's sure changed a lot. You know she drinks two cups of coffee in the mornings?"

"Yeah," Ryan said. "She got addicted to the stuff after the twins were born. She's still not getting enough sleep."

"Well, she looks great," I said. "You know, for a girl."

"I'm actually surprised that your future self, the one that isn't around anymore because you're here, still lives with her. I actually expected her to kick you out before now," Ryan said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you, or the other you, or whatever, never does anything around the house, you hardly ever help with the kids, you never support her or them in plays, and you're way too busy with your work. You're always off with your boys, or some equally feeble and vague excuse," Ryan said.

"I'm a major jerk," I summarized. "Wait a second. Where do I work?"

"I'm not sure. This little business place. You probably have a business card," Ryan said. I pulled out my wallet and rifled through it until I found a business looking card. I showed it to him. "Yeah, that's it. 'Bolton and Cross Talent Agency for Talented Basketball Players. You can trust us. We won the Gold Medal'. It's some kind of business for…maybe a talent scout for basketball players? I have no idea." I laughed a little.

"I work with Jason?" I asked. Ryan nodded.

"You founded the place with him right out of college," he said.

"I still talk to Jason?" I asked. Ryan nodded again.

"You work with him," he said. "That would imply some form of communication."

"Oh," I said. "I just never figured we'd keep in contact after high school."

"Well, you did," Ryan said, bluntly.

"I just still can't believe that…we didn't last," I said. "I found this room today when I was looking for a bathroom…"

"The one with the mural on the wall?" Ryan asked. I nodded. "How much dust was in there?"

"Enough to kill one of the smaller breeds of dog," I said. "Like, as in, if Boi got in there, it wouldn't have been good."

"Ah, Boi," Ryan said. "I miss that dog. Anyway, what about the room? Did you like it? I like it." I suddenly remembered the note I had pocketed before.

"I found a note in a box," I said, pulling it out of my pocket. "I was going to read it later."

"What is it?" he asked. I handed it to him. He took it, and then, recognizing it, handed it back to me. "Oh. That's just a letter I left you when me and Gabriella went off to New York." I unfolded it and read it to myself.

_Dear Troy,__  
I guess you've figured out by now that Gabriella and I went to New York. We didn't really mean to up and run like that. Take good care of Maddie for us while we're gone.__Troy, I'm sorry I blew up like that, but you can't really blame me, can you?  
Just know this: I'll never stop loving you, Troy, no matter what you say or do. I know I did something stupid, and you know you did something even stupider, and you and I should take all the blame for that. What I mean is it's not Sharpay's fault, and it's not Gabriella's fault, and it sure as hell isn't Maddie's fault. And you can stay at the house, if you want, or you can move back home, because your parents are speaking to you again, which is pretty cool now that you have a baby sister.  
It's not like Gabi and I just randomly decided to go to New York. Well, we did, but we've gone off to college (remember my scholarship?), so don't miss us too much, and we'll be home before you know it. Maybe. I haven't quite decided yet.  
I want you to know that what you did really hurt me, but I forgive you, because you forgive the people you love, and I love you.  
There, I said it. Twice, actually. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. Are you happy now? I LOVE YOU. If there are still teardrops on this page when you read it, it's because I'm crying right now. I LOVE YOU. When will it be enough for you?  
I'm not really __with__ Gabriella, you should know, because I love __you__. I love you. How many times do I have to say it to get the point across? I love you. I love you. I love you.  
If I don't stop writing now, there will be too many tears on the page for you to read it properly. I love you, Troy, I love you, and I'll never stop.  
Love,  
Ryan._

I was really moved by the letter, and almost started crying halfway through it. I folded it up again and looked up at Ryan, who was staring at me. I contemplated asking him what I did, but I knew he wouldn't tell me the truth. Just that it "didn't matter".

"Sounds like the past Ryan really needed some closure," I tried to joke, but it came out horribly awkwardly.

"I…never got a response to this letter," Ryan said. "Nothing. Ever. I can't believe you actually kept it."

"I must have thought it was special," I said. I went to put the letter back in the envelope but there was something else in it. "What's this?" Ryan frowned.

"I have no idea," he said. "Read it." I unfolded the second piece of paper and read aloud.

_Dear Ryan,  
I love you too. More than you'll ever know. But I just can't forgive you. You hurt me more than you'll ever know, too. Have fun in New York. I'll be here, looking after the kid you two abandoned.  
Love,  
Troy._

"Ouch. That's terrible," I finished. "Why didn't I send it?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Ryan said, shrugging.

"So, whose idea was that room, anyway?" I asked.

"That would be yours," Ryan said. "We painted the mural one day when my parents were in London, and I don't think they ever found out."

"Where are your parents, anyway?" I asked. "Me and Sharpay have their bedroom now."

"They move around a lot, but they've set up their home base in Florida," Ryan said. "They decided they were East Coast people."

"West Coast is where it's at, though," I said. Ryan shook his head.

"Hell, no, the East Coast is the best," he said. "Five years in New York will do that to you." There was a knock on the door just then, and Gabriella came in. "Hey, Gabriella." She looked awfully surprised to see the two of us together getting along, but ignored it.

"Chad's cutting the cake," she said. "And it's going to be hilarious, because he's pretty drunk."

"Are the fire extinguishers ready?" Ryan asked. Gabriella laughed, nodded, and left the room. "Last year, he started a fire in the living room," Ryan explained as we descended the stairs. "It was hilarious."

"You came to my birthday party?" I asked, surprised, given the information I had been confronted with.

"Well, no, but Gabriella did and she told me about it," Ryan said.

"Oh," I said.

The cake was cut without any major explosions. I was reminded of my 18th birthday party, the last that I could remember, which was last night, technically, in my memory. I tried to remember more than the beginning part, but everything was very cloudy. Drinking does that, I guess. Anyhoo, the cake tasted pretty good, but I was kind of full from already having eaten three meals that day and didn't have much. It's always refreshing to have a bunch of drunk people sing happy birthday to you, though. Maybe the word I'm looking for isn't "refreshing".

I sat down in the empty dining room with Ryan, Gabriella, and cake. Ryan briefly explained to Gabriella what was going on, and she just went along with it, even though I could tell that she didn't really believe it. We chatted for a bit about nothing, careful to avoid sticky subjects like relationships, alcohol, pregnancy, high school, college, New York, and sex in general. She did end up asking me how Maddie was doing, though.

* * *

**A/N: Hi kids. And people who aren't kids. I know, I know, it's been forever. But I have a good reason. My computer broke dead the week of Thanksgiving. And my new one didn't come until halfway through December. And then I didn't get Microsoft Word installed until Christmas Eve. And we have really bad internet here at the place where I'm staying over vacation. So…I apologize for the lateness. And hope you're all still with me here.**

**Um…wow, it's been a while. What am I supposed to say here? I don't own anything, and don't sue me? That's gotta be it. Um, if you have trouble keeping track of my own personal invented characters, I think there's a glossary on my profile, and I'll update that soon.**

**Updates shall come shortly on all my stories. Thanks for reading and please review!!!! Oh, and I reserve the right to make more Legally Blonde jokes (so long as I don't own them), because I didn't make any at all (I don't think, correct me if I'm wrong) in Middle School Musical.**

**Samantha.**


	3. Chapter 2: A Typical Sunday

I slept badly that night. Not just because I was in a bed with Sharpay (say it with me: Ick), and not just because I knew that somewhere across town my Ryan was not with me. It was because I was scared that I would somehow skip back to being seventeen again, or even worse, fast forward even more in time. Eventually, I deemed it late enough to get up, and stopped trying to sleep.

After getting a bowl of cereal from the kitchen (Lucky Charms, my favorite), I settled down in the living room with some picture albums. They were from high school, the year after it, and Maddie's baby pictures. The pictures weren't much help, as I couldn't even really focus on them. Everything Ryan had told me was spinning in my head, and all I wanted to do was scream, but it was very early. Maybe I'd sing a crazy song later, and _then_ scream. The only thought I could coherently register was "I never actually thought I would go back to girls." I mean, especially after getting the one thing I wanted (Ryan, doy) and going through the whole long and involved process of coming out. By the way, as much as Ryan does tend to claim it, that was totally _my_ plan. The whole "coming out in a musical" thing, yeah, that was totally _my_ idea. Actually, strictly speaking, the use of "La Vie Boheme" was Chuckie's idea. I still don't get the big idea surrounding RENT.

I wondered where Chuckie was now. I hadn't seen him the night before. I had noticed an address book on the phone table, and went to get it. The phone itself caught my eye, though. It was super high tech, too. Great, another thing I wouldn't be able to work. I flipped through the address book, seeing where our friends lived now. Kelsi and Jason were evidently married (or at least, still together) and living across town. Gabriella and Ryan lived in Gabriella's old house, I noted for future reference. Zeke, it seemed, was now listed as living in Santa Fe. I continued flipping through the address book (which was not in order by the way. Sharpay's organizational skills are somewhat lacking) and finally came across the one other person I knew could help me. Charles Patrick Brown. Or, as we call him, Chuckie. One of the finest basketball players East High had, and definitely the gayest. The number was still listed as in the area, although I didn't recognize the address. I made up my mind to call him later that day, perhaps when the sun was actually up, and kids weren't waking up to watch Sunday morning cartoons. Speaking of which, I heard two presumably blond twins making their way down the stairs very quietly and attempting to sneak into the room. They froze when they saw me eating Lucky Charms.

"Daddy?" Zac asked. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Nothing," I said. "I was just leaving. By all means, watch your cartoons."

"You never let us watch cartoons," Ashley said.

"Why not?"

"Watching too much TV lowers your IQ and turns your eyes square," Maddie supplied from behind them. "It's true, I read it in a book."

"That is _not_ true," I said. "At least, I don't think so. Watch all the cartoons you want, kids." I walked out of the living room in the direction of the kitchen to put away my bowl. To my surprise, Maddie followed me. "Any particular reason you're following me?"

"You're acting different," she observed. "You never let the twins watch TV, and you never eat Lucky Charms. You say it's too sugary."

"Well, then I was insane," I said. "Lucky Charms is the best cereal ever."

"Uh-huh, sure," Maddie said. "You're acting more like I remember Gabriella and Uncle Ryan talking about you." She couldn't contain the smile growing on her face.

"Uh, thanks," I said. She's a perceptive girl, that Maddie.

"You're welcome," she said. "I'm glad you're back." She gave me a hug, and I couldn't help but wonder if she knew Gabriella was her real mom. "They'd be happy."

"Yeah, I talked to them last night," I said. "Maddie, could you do me a favor?" She shrugged. "Would you _not_ tell Sharpay, I mean Mom, about this whole…acting different stuff?" Maddie looked confused, but agreed. "Actually, this might be easier, if I just told you the whole story. What's your favorite room in this house?" Maddie thought.

"Isn't there a room with all these little quaint figurines?" she said.

"Yeah, it's all the way down the hallway and…I don't remember," I said. "We'll find a room and go talk. How's that?" She nodded, and we went down the hall to find a suitable room to talk in. After opening some doors at random and finding several rooms that were just full of shoes, we found one with some couches and a little keyboard.

"What's this about, Dad?" Maddie asked. I sighed.

"Okay, I am swearing you into secrecy right now, okay? You cannot tell Sharpay any of this," I said.

"Okay," Maddie said. She might have had Gabriella's brains, but she was still confused.

"Have you ever seen that movie 13 going on 30?" I asked.

"With Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo and the naked guy?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. "That one. With the Razzles and Thriller, and all the ridiculously bad 80's music."

"Yeah, we watched it a couple times," she said. "Why?"

"This is going to sound _insanely_ weird," I began, "but I'm not 28. I'm 17. I have _no_ idea what's happened to me since…who knows how long, and I don't even know where to begin."

"AKA, you don't remember me. Or Ashley and Zac, or anything that happened between you and Uncle Ryan," she deduced.

"Well, no," I said. "Wait, how much do you know about Uncle Ryan?"

"More than you know I do," she said. "He only talks about you _all the time_. And he only sighs when you leave without talking to him _all the time_. And there's only a room upstairs proclaiming your everlasting love for each other _upstairs_. I'm not stupid here."

"Okay, then you might be more help than I thought," I said. "How much do you know?"

"Whatever I could find in the library," she said. "You guys were such a cute couple, according to your yearbook. What happened?" I hesitated.

"I don't really know, Maddie," I said. "But I'm going to figure it out. But I'm going to need all the help I can get. Are you in?"

"Deal!" she said, putting her hand towards me. I stared at it. "We're not going to yell 'Wildcats'?"

"Oh, right," I said. I put my hand in as well, and we both shouted "Wildcats!" "Okay, so where's the library?" Maddie rolled her eyes and took my hand. She pulled me through about seven other rooms, before we ended up in a room full of books. "You were just joking when you pretended not to know where that other room was, weren't you?" She smiled mysteriously.

"Anyways, I found a section of scrapbooks and stuff over there," she said, pointing towards the far end of the room. "And there's a big collection of yearbooks over here, and, of course, Uncle Ryan's diary collection over there." She pointed wildly in various directions around the room as she spoke, although she seemed to know exactly what she was talking about.

"Sweetness," I said. She rolled her eyes. "What?"

"That is _so_ gay," she said, walking over to one of the shelves and pulling titles off of it.

"Okay, then, smarty-pants," I said. "What _else_ do you know?"

"I know about my real mom," she said.

"Oh, do you?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Sure," she said. "It's Gabriella."

"How do you know that?" I asked, impressed.

"Dad, I'm _nine_, and I've spent most of the last five years in this room. I'm not exactly the dictionary definition of stupid," she said.

"Exactly like her to a T," I said. "She was always in that stupid library."

"And you were always in the gym," Maddie countered.

"That's true," I said.

"Even after you graduated," Maddie continued. "And you played basketball through college, and now you work with–"

"Jason," I finished. "Yeah, I read my business card. I still can't believe the team didn't have a problem with me. And us. And whatever."

"Well, they had five years of Chuckie to deal with before you came out," Maddie told me.

"When did you read an encyclopedia of my life?" I asked.

"When I was seven," she joked. "I had to stand on a ladder to reach it."

"Funny," I said. I still wondered how she knew so much about me.

"I like being able to talk about this stuff with you," she said. "Old Dad was kind of mean."

"So I hear," I said. "So, Little Miss Smarty-Pants, tell me all about myself." I sat in one of the comfy chairs, and she sat in the one next to mine, and proceeded to tell me, using the books surrounding her, the story of my life for the last ten years. It took well over three hours, but then again, my life is cool like that. She didn't really tell me anything of importance, for example, why I was with Sharpay, or why Ryan had left for New York, even though it seemed like she knew more than she could explain. It seemed I was going to have to get that information on my own.

"And so that was at my ninth birthday, which brings us pretty much to the present," she finished. "Now, what did we rehearse?"

"I am Jenna Rink, big time magazine editor. I am a tough bitch," I said. "I am going to go into that office, and I'm not going to let anyone know I'm hung over, because the future of _Poise_ depends on me."

"Dad!" Maddie scolded. I sighed.

"I am Troy Bolton, I am 28 years old, I have three beautiful kids, a wonderful girlfriend, and I work at Bolton & Cross Talent Agency for talented basketball players," I recited.

"Beautiful!" she said.

"We don't say 'fabulous' anymore?" I asked.

"When have I ever said fabulous?" Maddie asked. "The whole concept around that word makes me want to kill everything that is pink and / or blond."

"Sounds like a good idea," I joked, "but keep your hands off of Ryan."

"Word," she agreed.

"Okay," I said, after a long pause. "I'm not ever going to ask how you know 'word'. I still have some questions, though."

"Shoot," she countered.

"Chuckie. Where is he, what's he doing, and do I still talk to him?" I asked.

"Um, right. Well, he lives over in the new development across town. He actually works with you and Jason at the Agency," Maddie said. "He's over here, like, all the time."

"Really?" I asked. It was good to know that at least I still talked to some of my friends. "So you spose he's coming over anytime soon, or will I have to wait until work on Monday?"

"Probably have to wait," Maddie said. "He usually comes over on Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and sometimes on Saturdays, when there's nothing better to do."

"Okay, that's cool," I said. "What about Zeke?" Maddie froze. She evidently knew about the stickiness of that situation.

"He…um, well, he…lives in Santa Fe," she said. "He runs a restaurant and takes care of Christopher."

"A restaurant in Santa Fe? Are you kidding me? Damn that freaking movie," I said.

"Dad, seriously, get on the RENT train. That's the next musical the theatre's doing," Maddie said. I groaned.

"I hate that movie! It's so sad!" I exclaimed.

"So what possessed you to use it as a motif for your big coming out?" Maddie asked.

"It wasn't my idea," I whined. "It was Kelsi's."

"Sure it was," Maddie said, slyly. "I think it's time for lunch."

"Wait a second. It's ten years in the future. The ten-year reunion must be coming up soon," I said.

"Yeah, sure, why?" Maddie asked.

"How much do you know about the Board of Secrets?" I asked.

"Never heard of it," she said. "What is it? It sounds like something from an Indiana Jones movie."

"Yeah, it does. How was the fourth one, by the way?" I asked.

"Five stars, four thumbs up…whatever," Maddie said. "It was really, really good."

"Okay," I said. "But, no, the Board of Secrets was a thing the guys and I developed in the seventh grade, to release at the ten year reunion. I wonder if we're still doing that." She shrugged again. "You're so helpful."

"Well, fine, if you'd rather think to yourself out loud than eat lunch, you can stay here and rot, because I'm willing to bet you'd get lost trying to leave this room," Maddie said. I sighed.

"Fine, let's go get lunch," I said. "I am kind of hungry." Sharpay graced us with her presence at the lunch table, accompanied by, like, sixty cups of coffee (or two, depending on your definition of the number system).

"So what have you two been up to all morning?" Sharpay asked us. We looked at each other and shrugged.

"Nothing," Maddie said, innocently. She seemed to have inherited her mother's sweetness. "Just catching up."

"So, Shar," I said. "What shall we do today?"

"You want to do something together?" Sharpay asked, as if that was unexpected. "That's so unexpected."

"Sure, why not? You're my girlfriend, and that's what we do," I said.

"Okay," she agreed. "Let's…um…take the kids to the park?"

"You think about it," I said. I silently wondered which of the kids inherited the basketball genes, and hoped it was Maddie. The phone rang at that moment. Sharpay and the kids totally ignored it, and I was confused, until the phone stopped ringing, and a butler came into the dining room.

"There's a Miss Montez on the phone for Master Troy," he said, in a stuffy British accent, much better than the fake ones we used to use when we cloud-watched. Most likely because his was real.

"Oh," I said. "Um, awesome. Excuse me." I went into the hall, and the butler passed me the phone. Thankfully, it was already on, so I didn't have to worry about trying to use it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Troy, it's Gabriella," Gabriella said from the other side of the phone.

"Yeah, I heard," I said. "There's a very British butler here."

"I _know_," Gabriella said. "He is so hot. Anyway, that's beside the point. I called because I need your help."

"On what?" I asked.

"There's this non-profit organizational meeting type potluck dinner tonight, and you know I can't cook," she said. "So, I was wondering if you could get the chef to make something?"

"If that's what you were wondering, why didn't you ask for Sharpay?" I asked.

"Well, also, Ryan wants to talk to you," she said.

"Oh," I said. "Okay, put him on." There was a scuffle on the other side of the phone.

"Hi," Ryan said.

"Hey, Ry, what's up?" I asked.

"Um, nothing," he said. "Um, look, we can't just…you know…what I mean…I mean…you know?"

"Do you?" I asked. He was making even less sense than the time he found out that Zeke was allergic to rabbits. (Pretty hectic day).

"Yes," Ryan protested. "What I meant was that I can't just accept that you're seventeen again. It's just too weird. And far-fetched."

"That's fine," I said, "because I spent the morning researching myself, and I am all caught up. So, we can go back to before. You know, whatever."

"No! No, I don't want to do that," Ryan said. "I missed talking to you. I can accept that you don't want to be the other person you were before, and that you've changed. Again."

"I have changed, Ryan," I said. "It's me. This is the real me." There was humming coming from somewhere nearby.

"How do you know?" Ryan said very loudly, or maybe just closer to the phone. "How do you know which is the real you or not? What if the other you is the real you, and you just don't know it? Like you don't know that…never mind. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!" I shouted. "Don't go."

"What?" he asked.

"Like I don't know what?" I asked.

"I'm not telling you," he said. "I'm not telling you, and that's final."

"Tell me!" I said, with an air as if to command respect like Sharpay, but failing miserably.

"No!" Ryan shouted. "I'm not telling."

"You're acting like a five year old, Ry," came Gabriella's voice from the background.

"Shut up," Ryan said. "I'm not the one acting like a five year old. He's the one being poopy."

"I'm sure _I'm_ the one being poopy," I said. "And it's not just you being a big fatsohead."

"Are these really the best insults we can come up with?" Ryan asked. "Poopy and fatsohead?"

"Yes," I said. "Because, contrary to popular belief, the both of us are really six years old."

"I always thought that," Ryan said. "Anyway, that's all, so I'm going to go."

"No, wait!" I said. "Tell me, please?"

"No," Ryan said. "Maybe later. Gabriella says to remind you about the chef thing."

"I did _not_," came Gabriella's voice.

"Okay, talk to you later," I said. "Bye." I looked at the phone for several seconds, before Maddie appeared at my shoulder to turn it off for me. "Thanks," I said. She had been the one humming.

"You're welcome," she said. "I also know how to program the TV to record all the Pokémon episodes ever aired."

"I'm sure that's a really useful skill," I said.

"It is!" Maddie argued. "Zac and Ashley like Pokémon a lot."

"Is that back again?" I asked. "Damn, I hoped it was over." We walked back into breakfast (lunch?) and I resumed eating my sandwich, while being painfully reminded that sandwiches are Ryan's favorite food.

"So, what did she want?" Sharpay asked.

"She wants the chef to make some food for a potluck thing she has to go to," I said. "I told her no prob."

"Oh," Sharpay said. "Okay."

"So, uh, it's a nice day," Maddie said, trying to stem the awkwardness springing up between me and Sharpay. "Why don't we have some fun in the backyard? I can show Dad that new trick I learned."

"You do that," Sharpay said.

* * *

Later, the five of us were in the backyard. Sharpay was laying in a chaise, reading and sipping coffee. Ashley and Zac were playing tag on the grass. It was so cute. Maddie and I were standing on the beach volleyball court, and she was showing me a new trick she had learned.

"Were you purposefully deceptive when you talked about new tricks?" I said. She smiled mysteriously. "Did none of my kids inherit basketball genes?"

"Nope!" said Maddie, happily. She took the volleyball, and served it right over the net, and it hit me in the head. Maddie laughed. "That's the part where you'd hit it back."

"I know," I said. "I wasn't expecting it to hit me in the head."

"Sure," she said. The butler made his appearance in the backyard at that moment, and I went over to him. Maddie followed.

"Master Troy, there is one Miss Montez and one Master Ryan here to see you," he said, still Britishly.

"Fantastic," I said, leading the way back into the living room through the sliding glass doors. Maddie kept following me, not that I minded. She was like my little Mini Me. Gabriella and Ryan were standing awkwardly in the entryway. Gabriella waved when we walked in. Maddie went to hug her and Ryan.

"Hey, squirt," Ryan said, as she jumped up into his arms. He caught her, and carried her into the living room on his hip. She might have been nine, but she was kind of small for her age.

"Hi Troy," Gabriella said to me. "Did the chef make something?"

"Yeah, it's in the fridge when you want to take it," I said. We stood awkwardly for a moment, and then walked into the living room, where Ryan and Maddie were desperately engaged in a father/daughter type tickle fight. You have no idea how much I wanted to join in, but I didn't, instead breaking up all the fun by sitting on the couch. "So why are you guys really here?"

"To pick up the food," Gabriella said.

"I'm sure that takes two people," I said, sarcastically. "And you could have just asked us to send it over." They didn't have anything to say to that. Maddie stopped trying to tickle Ryan, and climbed into my lap. I turned to her and donned a very serious face. "Maddie, why do you think these two fine human beings have stopped by our house, on such a beautiful day as this?" She whispered some gibberish in my ear so that the other two thought we were conversing, and I laughed. "Don't be silly."

"I think it's because they want to have fun with us in the backyard," Maddie said. "Right?"

"I think that's exactly why they're over here. You are so smart. How'd you get to be so smart?" I asked. Maddie shrugged and I could tell she was thinking _Well, just look at who I had for parents._

"It doesn't come from Sharpay, that's for damn sure," Gabriella mumbled. Maddie pretended not to hear her, and proceeded dragging Ryan out to the backyard by the arm. Gabriella and I followed her. Sharpay shrieked when she saw them.

"Ryan!" she said. Ryan frowned. "You're alive!"

"You saw me yesterday," Ryan said. Sharpay frowned.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Right. Never mind, then." She went back to reading her book. Gabriella went over to say hi to Ashley and Zac, leaving Ryan and I standing awkwardly beside each other.

"I'd say she planned it, but I wouldn't believe she had it in her," Ryan said, referring to Maddie, who had disappeared back to the V-ball court.

"Well, be careful, she'll hit you in the head with the volleyball," I said. "It hurts." There was nothing else to say to each other, but we just stood there. Someone, somewhere _must_ have been thinking "Make up, already. Then make out," but we didn't. Gabriella soon came over to rejoin us.

"Well, sadly, it's time to go," she said. I looked at my wrist, where, to my amazement, there was an actual watch. It was pretty late in the afternoon. I couldn't figure out why I was wearing a watch. I hadn't needed one since I was twelve or thirteen. "Ry, can you go and get the food? I'll be right there." Ryan nodded and went back in the house. Gabriella slapped me.

"Ow! What was that for?" I asked, indignantly. I couldn't think of any reason I had deserved that.

"I thought I told you it was in Maddie's own interests that she not know I'm her real mother," Gabriella said.

"Well, I didn't tell her!" I protested. "She's nine, she's not stupid."

"I'm not sure I like this new you," Gabriella said. She turned around and stomped back into the house.

"Bye!" I called after her. She waved her hand in my direction. I knew I had probably deserved that, but definitely not the slap. That was just mean.

"Dad!" Maddie called. "Watch _this_!" She managed to hit the ball so that it flew towards Gabriella, and landed on the ground just inches from her, bouncing back into my hands.

"Sorry!" I called. Gabriella disappeared through the doors, and I went back over to join Maddie. "Awesome." We slapped five the cool way, where you miss on purpose up top, then slap five underneath. "She's gonna be mad tomorrow."

"Enh, what's she gonna do about it?" Maddie asked. She sat down on the sand, and I followed suit. "So, are you going to try out for the next musical?"

"That depends," I said. "Why didn't I try out for the last one?"

"Um…you got in a big fight with Ryan," Maddie said. "About…something. It evidently wasn't important enough to tell the rest of us about, but you guys just stopped talking, and you were ignoring him something fierce."

"'Something fierce'?" I mocked. "Now look who's British."

"Shut up," Maddie said. "I've been reading Harry Potter to the twins as a bedtime story."

"Aw, that's cute," I said. "Hey, did she ever come out with another one?" Maddie shook her head no. "Damn." I sighed. "What am I going to do?"

"About what?" Maddie asked. I looked at her. She knew what. "Oh, that. I thought we were talking about the musical."

"I am not doing another musical to show someone my affections," I said. "You know how many times I've done that?"

"Twice?" Maddie guessed.

"Yeah," I grumbled. "Twice! And they didn't work out."

"Maybe you need to work out why that was, and then go and try out for Collins," Maddie said.

"Okay, two things. One, since when has a nine year old seen RENT?" I asked. Maddie shrugged. "Two, _Collins_?!"

"Yeah," Maddie said. "Everyone knows that Ryan's wanted to play Angel for years. Why wouldn't you be Collins?"

"I don't know," I said. "I always kind of pictured myself as a Mark type of guy."

"Hmm, Maureen's ex, living with Roger and Collins, pretty much hopeless, can't hold down a relationship with either gender…" Maddie said. "Yeah, sounds like you."

"Funny," I said. "Not. I seem to be holding up a pretty steady relationship with Sharpay."

"Yeah, but it's _Sharpay_," Maddie said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, even though I knew what it was supposed to mean. It's basically common knowledge that Sharpay and I are _supposed_ to be together. Even if I don't want to be together with her. Maddie just smiled her very, very annoying mysterious smile that she must have picked up from Sharpay sometime in her childhood.

"Heads up!" she called, and served the ball over the net in the direction of Sharpay and the twins. Sharpay almost had a panic attack when she saw the ball flying at her, but it went right over her chair and into the pool. Which was empty. "Oh, darn."

"I'd get that, but I don't want to," I said. Maddie laughed. Sharpay was not amused.

"I think we've had enough playing for one day. It's naptime for the twins," she said. She ushered Ashley and Zac back into the house, and followed them upstairs. Maddie and I sighed and retreated into the house as well, leaving the volleyball at the bottom of the pool. To my general surprise, and slight concern, Ryan was sitting on the couch watching TV when we walked in. Maddie, brilliantly masking her surprise, sat down next to him and immediately got engrossed into whatever it was that he was watching. I thought I was going to sneak past them into the kitchen to get some more Lucky Charms, but I was wrong.

"Well, don't just stand there," Ryan said. "Come watch with us." Maddie scooted over to make room for me on the couch, even though there were like twenty other couches and I reluctantly sat down. The show was some stupid reality show (think VH1 style) that didn't make any sense at all. It made even less sense that Ryan was sitting on a couch in my house watching it. "You're probably wondering why I'm still here."

"Well, I was," I said, "but now I'm wondering how you can tell what I'm thinking."

"Do my socks match my hat?" Ryan asked, still not looking away from the TV.

"I…don't know," I said. Maddie stifled a giggle, perhaps at the thought that anyone would bother wondering if their socks matched their hat. That's what I'd like to know. I mean, you can't get them close enough to tell, so why bother spending three hours picking out socks that match your hat?

"I'm here because there are cleaners at my house, and Gabriella's at her function," Ryan said, still not looking away from the TV.

"What the hell are you _watching_?" I asked.

"Flavor of Love 14," Ryan said. Dumbest show ever, I'm sure.

"I'm not even going to ask why," I said, turning my attention to more pressing matters. Like what I was going to do about Ryan. Maddie, evidently pretty squished between me and Ryan, climbed into Ryan's lap. He patted her hair like he was her father, or something and I wondered just how much time he usually spent with my kids.

"Well, it beats the hell out of Big Brother 20-something," Ryan said. "Or the umpteenth season of Survivor." The sum total of my knowledge of those two shows is that in Big Brother 2, there was a gay guy with a purple shirt named "Bunky", and that the final two of Survivor: All Stars ended up married.

"Isn't there something on besides reality TV?" I asked. Ryan finally looked at me.

"Watch something besides reality TV?" he asked. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"Yeah," I replied. "You know this show is dumb, right?" I asked. Ryan looked at Maddie with a very serious look on his face.

"Maddie, tell your father he's crazy," Ryan said, sternly. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Watching too much TV lowers your IQ and turns your eyes square," was all she had to say before getting off Ryan's lap and disappearing into the dining room.

"You're crazy," I supplied. Ryan scowled. "She's right, though. I can thoroughly see that watching too much television lowers your IQ; just look at what's on! And as for the square eyes…I don't know. But you'd look hot in glasses." I stood up and followed Maddie into the dining room. Or at least, I tried to. Ryan had gotten up off the couch and grabbed me by the back of the shirt.

"Did you just tell me I'd look hot in glasses?" he asked.

"Yes," I said simply, removing my shirt from his grasp. "I did. Big whoop, wanna fight about it?"

"Troy, _no one_ looks hot in glasses," Ryan said. "You have, once again, proved that you have the fashion sense of…a turtle."

"That's mean!" I said. "I do not have the fashion sense of a turtle! A penguin, maybe, but a turtle?!" There was laughter all of a sudden coming from the dining room. "Maddie, stop spying on us. We might do something that's not rated PG." More laughter. "I'm serious!" Silence. Ryan was glaring daggers at me.

"Warning: Troy Bolton, I don't care how old you think you are, or what you've 'forgotten', I will _not_ be doing anything of that sort with _you_," Ryan said, in an icy tone that Sharpay would have been proud of, before storming off to some other room, that might have been a bathroom. A little scared, I had the sense not to follow him.

"Okay, he's gone, you can come out now," I called to Maddie, who promptly opened the door and walked out beside me.

"Should have watched Pokémon," Maddie said, shaking her head.

"I'm scared, Maddie," I said. "What did he mean by all that?"

"I don't know," Maddie said. "He's obviously still in love with you. Maybe he's afraid you're just playing with him. Oh! You should sing to him!"

"What? No way," I said.

"Yeah, and that would reassure him of your affections. You could rush to his side and pour your heart out into a beautiful ballad!" Maddie said, singing the last few words.

"Wait, isn't that from a movie?" I asked. "Like, _Enchanted_?"

"Yeah," Maddie said, sheepishly. "But, you should."

"No," I said flatly. "Just look at what happened the last time I did that."

"Well, you can't say that was entirely your fault that didn't work out," Maddie said. "You were gay, and _she_ was straight. There's not much I can say about that combination."

"I _was_ gay?" I asked. "I _am_ gay! There is no 'was' about it! Girls are icky!"

"I take offense to that," Maddie said. She didn't look like it. She looked on the verge of laughter.

"Not you," I said. "_You_ are my daughter. And my favorite daughter at that."

"I'm only your favorite daughter because the twins aren't old enough to form coherent sentences about anything that requires conscious thought," Maddie said.

"Mm," I said. "Let's change the channel and get really engrossed in it before he comes back."

"Sure. What's on?" she asked. I looked around for a TV Guide.

"Where's the TV Guide?" I asked. She pointed to a little box beside the TV. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a TV Guide," Maddie said, picking it up and turning it on. I looked over her shoulder and watched as she scrolled through the programs. "OMG, Whose Line is on!"

"Did you just say 'OMG'?" I asked. She shrugged and flipped through the channels on the TV, until Whose Line is it Anyway popped up. "This is one of the best shows ever."

"Yes," Maddie agreed. Two minutes later, Ryan returned from the bathroom, took one look at the TV, and sighed. "Uncle Ryan, sit. Immediately. You are way too sheltered." Ryan rolled his eyes and sat down.

"See, _that_ guy is hot in glasses," I said pointing at the TV.

"Drew Carey is _not_ hot," Ryan said.

"I meant Greg Proops," I said. Maddie giggled. "I know, right? His name is Greg Proops."

"I always liked Brad Sherwood," Maddie said. "His facial expressions are hilarious." We both turned to Ryan to see his opinions of the contestants of Whose Line. He sighed.

"Everyone knows my favorite is Ryan Stiles," Ryan said. "Because we have the same name."

"Omigod, look at his shoes," I said. Ryan Stiles was wearing hideous blue shoes. "Those are hideous. And fugly."

"'Fugly'?" Ryan mocked. "No one says that anymore."

"Yeah, well, I bet no one says 'TruthOut' anymore either," I countered. Sharpay walked into the room at that moment and plopped onto a couch to our left.

"My favorite was Wayne Brady," she said. I gave Ryan a face that said "Ha, your sister likes this show too". "Omigod, what is wrong with that man's shoes?!"

"We've covered the blue shoes," I said. "They're hideous and fugly."

"Is 'fugly' making a comeback?" Sharpay asked. "Usually people don't say that."

"Troy thinks he's seventeen again," Ryan said. Sharpay burst out laughing. I frowned at her.

"Troy, honey, remember when we talked about psychiatrists?" Sharpay asked. I rolled my eyes. "This would be one of the times they would come in handy."

"Whatever," I mumbled, turning my attention back to the TV, where the contestants were performing scenes from a hat.

"Daddy does _not_ need counseling," Maddie said. "If he needs counseling, then you need to go to rehab for your addiction of coffee." Sharpay scowled at her. Maddie just climbed into my lap and I hugged her, with a whispered thanks.

"You know, I was on a couple episodes of the remake of this show," Ryan said, conversationally.

"Really?" I asked.

"Duh," Ryan said.

* * *

**A/N: As you probably know, I don't own Enchanted, RENT, 13 going on 30, Pokémon, Family Guy, or Whose Line is it Anyway, or anything else I might have mentioned that I forgot. And High School Musical. Um, so who liked this chapter? Tell me about it in a review. If you think it's boring (which is kind of what I thought, reading through it), you can tell me that too. I do promise that it gets a lot more interesting, because I wouldn't inflict it upon you if it did not. I'd also like to add that I started writing this story before I'd finished the Board of Secrets, and before I'd started Middle School Musical, so if anything is out of place, I'm trying to catch it, but I'm not that great, so feel free to correct me if you see a mistake.**

**I'll stop rambling now, because no one ever reads what I write down here anyway.**

**Samantha.**


	4. Chapter 3: A Typical Work Day

The next morning, I woke up when my alarm went off. I had actually gotten some sleep, but I had had weird dreams. I couldn't remember most of them when I woke up, but I did know that Ryan had been in them. I turned off my alarm, not remembering about work, and rolled over to sleep again. Then, a pillow hit me in the head.

"What the–" I began. I looked around to see Maddie with a pillow above her head, ready for another attack. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Don't have it today," she said, grinning.

"Why?" I asked.

"Snow," she said.

"We live in New Mexico," I said.

"It's a teacher workshop day," Maddie said. "Which means _you_ get to take me to work."

"Oh, jeez, work," I said, hiding my head under my own pillow. "I don't even know where that is."

"Get up," Maddie said, hitting me across the stomach with her pillow, before dropping it and running out of the room. I sighed and got out of bed, barely registering that Sharpay was not in it. I took a shower and got dressed in what I hoped were work clothes, before going downstairs to breakfast. I wasn't that hungry, though, so I had some Toaster Strudel. Maddie was dressed and sitting there as well as Sharpay, accompanied by her best friend, Mr. Coffee Cup. After breakfast, Maddie showed me to the garage where my car was.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, after seeing it. It was supercool, even though I didn't know exactly what it was.

"It's a Prius," Maddie said. "The 2015 version."

"Okay, that's awesome," I said. "Energy efficient and supercool looking." Maddie started fiddling with some stuff on the wall of the garage, and on the car. "What'cha doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Maddie asked. "I'm unplugging it." I just shrugged and pulled my keys out of my pocket and got in the driver's seat.

"This thing works like a real car, right?" I asked, as Maddie climbed in the passenger's seat. She nodded, and fiddled with some more buttons. "Wait a second, which one's the key?" She sighed and took my key ring, showing me a triangular shaped piece of plastic. "What do I do with this?"

"Okay, put your feet of the clutch and the brake," Maddie instructed. I did. "Now, you put this in the slot and push the power button." I did, and the car started. "Now, put the car into reverse and drive out of the garage."

"Um…" I began. The car was a standard, a foreign object to me. "How?" Maddie sighed, and gave me a brief tutorial on driving a standard. "Okay, I got it." I backed the car out of the garage and drove down the long driveway, and out the main gates. "No, wait, do I shift now?"

"You always shift," Maddie said. "Maybe we should have taken the other car." I managed to drive the car to my work, which was located about twenty minutes towards Central Albuquerque, but I accidentally stalled the stupid thing twice at stoplights. Each time I did, Maddie would just sigh and push the power button again. Once I heard her mumble something about an air bag, but ignored it. When we got to my work, I saw it was an office in a building that was connected to a whole bunch of other buildings. "It's on the third floor," Maddie said, helpfully. We walked up to the third floor together.

"Good morning, Mr. Bolton, you're late," said a woman who looked like she might have been a secretary.

"Good morning, Kathy," Maddie said. "We're sorry. There was…traffic." Damn, was I lucky Maddie was an actress, too.

"Morning," I said, helpfully. Kathy passed me a whole bunch of papers.

"These need your approval," she said.

"Okay," I said, following Maddie into my office. "Whoa, nice office. Ooh! A rolly desk chair!"

"Dad, you're freaking out the...people who are getting freaked out," Maddie said. I cleared my throat and set the papers on my desk along with my briefcase. "Do you want some coffee or something?"

"Nah," I said. "Not a big coffee fan. Can I get a Pepsi?"

"It's nine o'clock in the morning," Maddie said. I shrugged. "Sure, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"You're not my babysitter," I called after her, but it didn't have the desired effect. The phone on my desk buzzed and I looked at it apprehensively. I pushed the blinking button, and a voice came out of it.

"Mr. Bolton, Mr. Cross wants to see you," Kathy's voice said.

"Um, okay, can you send him in here?" I asked. No more sounds came from the phone, so I figured she was doing that. I looked through the papers on my desk. There were applications for something that I evidently had to approve, and some official looking documents that needed my signature. There was a knock on my door, and I called, "Come in!"

"Hey, man," Jason said, walking into my office and snagging a chair. "What's up? How's it feel to be the big 2-8?"

"You weren't at my party?" I asked.

"I was, but I…well, you know me at parties," Jason said. I didn't really know what to say to that. "Oh, so Chuckie sends his regards in the form of a playlist, and he says he's sorry he missed your party."

"You can send playlists?" I asked. Jason shrugged.

"Don't look at me," he said. "You're the one that's all high tech. Fancy-shmancy car, fancy-shmancy cell phone…you get the idea."

"Where is he? Why wasn't he at my party?" I asked, changing the subject again.

"Oh, right!" Jason said. "He's in Ireland. With Justin." Jason waggled his eyebrows in a significant manner that told me more than I needed to know about the nature of the trip to Ireland.

"O…kay," I said. "I'm not even going to ask why. Wait, Justin? As in our camp counselor?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "Who else is Chuckie's boyfriend?"

"I…don't know," I said. "Okay, that's cool, whatever." What I really wanted to say was yell out questions that I couldn't answer like "If Chuckie's still with Justin, how come me and Ryan aren't still together?" or "Why does nothing make sense??" but I didn't.

"Dude, I know you're still…whatever, but we have work to do," Jason said.

"I'm still what?" I asked.

"Nothing," Jason said. "Forget I mentioned it."

"No, tell me," I said.

"In love with Ryan," Jason muttered.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I mean…yeah." There was no other answer to that. Bottom line: I was in love with Ryan.

"Ha!" Jason exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing," Jason said. "Chad owes me some money…" I sighed.

"As if he didn't have anything better to do," I said.

"No, but no one else believed me when I said you still were," Jason said. "I mean, the way you treated him…when he broke up with you…"

"Yeah, I – WHAT?!" I screamed. "He what?!"

"What?" Jason asked, confused. Maddie reappeared with my Pepsi at that moment.

"Sorry, go on," I said. Jason looked apprehensively at Maddie, before speaking again.

"Anyway, so we have a lot of work to do today," Jason said. "Those papers all need to be in pronto, so I'll leave you to it." Jason got up and hurriedly left my office. I was a mixture of confused and very, very angry.

"What's wrong?" Maddie said. If this were a movie, this would be the part where it would cut to me banging Ryan's front door down and demanding to know why he broke up with me, but this _isn't_ a movie. This is life. So I had to settle for fuming to my daughter.

"_Ryan_ broke up with _me_," I said. "Not the other way around."

"Well, why would he do that?" Maddie asked. "He still loves you."

"I _know_," I said. "That's why it doesn't make any sense."

"It really doesn't," Maddie said, shutting the door to my office. "Okay, so let's get to work, shall we?"

"Sure," I said. I looked at the top piece of paper. "What the hell is this?" Maddie peered at it as well.

"It's an application for your scholarship fund," Maddie said. "Every year you give scholarships to talented basketball players. Well, mostly whoever you think should get the scholarship."

"Oh, okay," I said. "That must be what this pile is about." I spent the next hour or so reading through all of them. "So, I just choose whoever I think should get the scholarship?" Maddie nodded, not even look up from the book she had brought to read. "How many?"

"Three," she said, absently.

"How do you know all this stuff?" I asked. She looked at me.

"Believe it or not, I actually come here a lot," she said. I chose the three people I thought should get the money, and then set all the papers aside. The next things were official looking forms that had to do with money, and then a page about the budget figures for the quarter, or whatever. Fortunately, every freshman at East High had to take a business class, so I knew what to do. An hour later, I was all finished.

"Done!" I exclaimed happily. "Now what?"

"Now you give the stuff to Kathy and she does stuff with them," Maddie said. I thought that sounded simple enough, so I gathered the papers and took them back down the hall to Kathy's desk. I almost got lost on the way back, but fortunately my office door has my name on it. Jason stopped me on my way back and I went into his office.

"You got that all done?" Jason asked. I nodded. "Good, okay, there's this one guy just out of college who needs an agent, right here in town, so I figured the two of us could go and meet him after lunch?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," I said. "See you then." I went back to my office and attempted to start up my computer. After failing miserably, Maddie told me to flick the switch, which immediately booted it up. Scrolling through my emails, I found the playlist Chuckie had sent me. I opened it up and started playing it.

"What's that?" Maddie asked, hearing the music.

"Chuckie sent me a playlist for my birthday," I said. "Jeez, these songs are all _so_ 2006." A few of the songs were newer (like 2007-8), but most of them were from the 2005-6 season of music. I listened to a lot of them, while I read Chuckie's message.

_Hey, Troy. Sorry I missed your birthday, Justin surprised me with tickets to Ireland for St. Patty's Day. Hot, right? I know. So, I'm sending my regards with this playlist. It's songs I used to listen to when I was thinking about you, and how much my life sucked. Justin thought it was a good idea. Thought you might be able to apply them as appropriate. ;P So, I'll be back this weekend. Did you hear Gabi's boyfriend is coming to town? I hope he's hot. Anyways, happy birthday. You're old now. Peace. Chuckie. XoXoX._

It was funny and explained why all the songs were so 2006. It was nice to hear some music I was familiar with, though, as opposed to the stuff that had been on the radio. I was going to have to invest in some Satellite Radio for the car, or just ask Maddie how to use it, assuming I already had it.

"Chuckie's in Ireland for the week," I said out loud. "With his boyfriend. That is not at all helpful."

"Well, it's life," Maddie said. "Things aren't always fair. For instance, I have to go to school tomorrow, so I won't be able to talk you through driving your car and your job and stuff."

"Sure," I said. "Are you hungry? What's for lunch?"

"Whatever you want," Maddie said. "There's a food place on the bottom floor, if you want."

"Word," I said. Maddie and I went downstairs to have some food for lunch. We ended up at a sub shop, which was cool.

After lunch, Maddie, Jason, and I went across town to meet with the basketball guy. He was an okay player. Not bad, but definitely not up to the standards the team and I had set in high school. But then again, who is? Honestly. (Insert mini ode to Wildcats here including the words "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "I Don't Dance".) Jason and I had a mini-conference on the sidelines while the guy, whose name was Erik, shot some foul shots, because, if I hadn't mentioned, we were in a gym. Jason thought he was good, and I didn't really know what some of our other "clients" were like, so I just agreed. Then we told Erik, who was happy, and then we took Maddie back to the agency, at which point I promptly…took the rest of the day off. We didn't really have anything else to do, so I could. Besides, where do you think the money to open our own business came from? That's right: the Evans' fortune. Duh. I didn't even have to ask, especially because there's a big plaque in Mr. Evans' honor on the wall.

I took Maddie home to Sharpay and the twins, and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt instead of my moderately "workish" clothes. Then, I went back out to the garage, and was not surprised to be stopped by Sharpay on my way out.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Um, out?" I said. Maddie appeared at Sharpay's shoulder, also now dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "I mean, I was taking Maddie…somewhere?"

"Right," Maddie said. "We were going…to buy you something. It's a secret."

"Oh!" Sharpay said. "You remembered! You're so sweet!"

"Exactly," I said. "Come along, Maddie. Let's go…buy Sharpay – Mom – something."

"Bye, _mom_," Maddie said, following me into my garage. We drove all the way down the driveway, before she asked, "Where exactly _are_ we going?"

"I don't know," I said. "Somewhere that's not work, school, or someplace Sharpay is. I wonder what Chad's up to."

"I think he's at work," Maddie said. "Most people are. It's the middle of the afternoon."

"Come on, it's like 3:30," I said. "Even school is out by now."

"Yeah, most people work until 5," Maddie said.

"Sucks to be them," I said, driving down the road at a high velocity, which means I was going very fast in a direction away from the Evans' Mansion. "Maybe I'll swing by Ryan and Gabi's. See what they're up to. What do they do for work?"

"Couldn't tell you," Maddie said. "They both went to college for…theatre or English or political science or something dumb like that. I mean, what do you do with that?"

"No idea," I said. "What did I major in?"

"Double major in Business and Basketball," Maddie joked.

"Well, that makes sense," I said. "Where are we?" I looked around and realized I didn't recognize this part of town.

"This is the new development I was talking about. See that blue house over there? That's where Chuckie lives. Or, he would, if he wasn't in Ireland," Maddie said. I drove through the development, until I was back to roads I knew, and I drove the car in the direction of my street.

"Ever wonder what Mom and– I mean, Gramma and Grampa Bolton are up to?" I asked.

"Not really, to tell the truth," Maddie said.

"Good, me neither," I said, making a decision to drive past my house when we got there. "Wonder what they did with my room though. It's probably Jenny's room. Is it weird to have an aunt that's your same age?"

"A little," Maddie said. "But it's cool, cuz we can hang out."

"She's so cool, right?" I said. "Wonder if she's home." I pulled in my driveway. "We could take her out with us, wherever it is that we're going."

"Sounds good," Maddie said. "I'll go get her." Maddie got out of the car, and ten minutes later, she and Jenny were both climbing into the backseat. "Okay, Dad, so where are we going?"

"Yeah, Troy, where are we going? Maddie wouldn't tell me," Jenny said.

"Guys, I told you, I have no idea where we're going," I said. "Where do you want to go?" Both girls thought and came up blank. "Okay, then we're driving until we get there."

"Where?" both girls asked.

"No idea," I replied. I drove out of the driveway and down the road. Ten minutes later, I had unconsciously parked the car in Gabriella and Ryan's driveway. "What are we doing here?"

"You're the one driving," Jenny said. "Shouldn't you know?"

"I suppose I should," I said. "Let's see if they're home, shall we?" Both girls nodded, and we walked up the steps to the house, and I knocked on the door. Gabriella opened the door when we got there.

"You're not Chinese," she said.

"Neither are you. You ordered Chinese?" I asked. "All the more reason for us to come in. What's the occasion?" Gabriella, frowning, let the three of us into the living room that was devoid of human beings, although there was a rabbit. "Cute bunny."

"That's Chester," Gabriella said. "He's Ryan's." Maddie and Jenny both sent me significant looks at this, and I got confused.

"Okay, whatever," I said. There was a long pause while the four of us took seats.

"What'cha doing here, Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Just hanging with my three favorite girls," I said. "My daughter, my sister, and my…ex-girlfriend. We need a better title for you. That one's kind of anti-climactic."

"How about…the girl you impregnated in high school?" Ryan asked, walking into the room and taking a seat in a chair.

"I was thinking a little less climactic than that," I said. "How are you?"

"I'm not sure," Ryan said. "I'll get back to you on that when I'm in a better mood."

"Is the reason you ordered Chinese because Ryan's in a bad mood?" I asked Gabriella, who nodded.

"Sure," she said. "Not just because we're 27-year-olds who always order Chinese on Mondays. There's a better reason."

"There's not a better reason, is there?" Jenny whispered to Maddie, who shook her head. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"So, I see you've somehow roped Jenny into your little…whatever it is that you're trying to do," Ryan said, observing the two girls on the couch, who were giggling with each other.

"No," I said. "It was the only way I could get out of the house. Sharpay made me explain _why_ I was leaving, so Maddie lied – acted – and said we were buying her presents, and then we ended up at my house, where we picked up Jenny, and then we ended up here. All by some kind of unconscious imagination."

"Sure," Gabriella said. "Not just because you're still hopelessly in love with your ex-boyfriend as of the day before yesterday, when you decided you were seventeen again. Because that's a rip-off of a Zac Efron movie."

"He's hot. Anyway–" I began.

"That's a little conceited, don't you think?" Gabriella asked.

"What?" I said, confused.

"Saying Zac Efron's hot. He looks just like you," she said.

"He…does?" I said. "Really? You think so?" I had never thought that before, nor had I been told that before. "I've never really seen him in anything…"

"Hairspray?" Ryan said, incredulously.

"Nope, never seen it," I said.

"Yes, you have!" Ryan said.

"No, I haven't!" I declared.

"Yes, you have!"

"No, I have _not_!"

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

"Have too infinity!"

"Have not infinity plus one!"

"Have too infinity plus two! Girls, help me out here!" Ryan said. All three girls shrugged. I stuck my tongue out at Ryan. "You have _too_ seen it, because I was there!"

"Was it after my 18th birthday? Cuz I don't remember that," I said, knowingly. "I heard it was good, though." Ryan scowled and sat back in his chair, and mumbled something about psychiatric help. "Look, I'm not lying and I'm not crazy, okay? I'm seventeen years old, I'm a senior in high school, and I played the part of Danny Zuko in the Winter Musical, and I just won the state championships two years in a row! I have a wonderful boyfriend, Ryan, who I'm going to ask to the prom in a couple of weeks, and for our six month anniversary, we went out to the theater to see a production of Grease! I'm not insane, okay? This is the truth!" Everyone in the room was staring at me. Gabriella scooted closer to me on the couch and put a face on like I was a confused little kid.

"Honey, that was ten years ago. That all happened, but it's in the past," she said. "This is now. It's the year 2018, you're 28 years old, you have a fabulous girlfriend, a great job, three adorable kids, and a future. It does not do to dwell on the past and forget the present, just as it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

"Stop quoting Dumbledore!" I said, angrily, pushing her off of me. "You're not helping. And I still have to figure out why today is significant, because Sharpay acted like she was expecting presents!"

"It's your anniversary, Troy," Gabriella said. "Duh."

"It…is?" I asked. I hadn't known that. Maddie shrugged, and Jenny looked clueless. Ryan was burning a hole in the wall with his stare, or maybe he was trying to freeze it. Whichever.

"Troy, just drop the amnesia act, because it's not funny," Gabriella said.

"I don't have amnesia. I can remember everything just fine!" I said. "This is some kind of weird dream, and I'm going to wake up any second, because Ryan will be waking me up for breakfast!"

"Ryan waking you up for breakfast? That's a little too much information," Jenny said.

"Oops, I forgot," Maddie said. "She didn't know you used to be an item." I shot her a look. "Okay, I'll tell her. Jenny, your brother and Ryan over here used to go out. As in on dates. And other stuff that nine-year olds shouldn't talk about, because it's inappropriate for them to do so outside of health class."

"Okay," Jenny said. She looked between the both of us and then said, "Aw." Ryan and I both looked at her. "What? You two would make such a cute couple."

"Oh, great," Ryan said. "Another Tryan fangirl meets the post-Tryan era."

"What the hell is Tryan?" Gabriella, Jenny, and I all said at the same time.

"Jenny, watch your mouth," I added.

"That's what you get when you squish our names together," Ryan explained. "Doy."

"You don't get a lot of 'doy' these days," I mocked. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Why'd you break up?" Jenny asked. I looked at her, and then at Ryan, who was staring at the wall again.

"I have no idea," I said, turning my attention back to Jenny. "I think it was someone over there, perhaps sitting in a chair and wearing a hat that dumped me." Jenny pouted. "No, seriously, that's all I know, except for then I got together with Sharpay, and Gabriella and Ryan left for New York."

"Yeah, because we…never mind," Ryan said.

"Because you what?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, Ry, because we what?" Gabriella asked, with the tone of someone wanting to keep something on the DQ. Or the DL. Or whatever it is.

"Are you two hiding something from me? Because it's not cool if you are," I said. "Not cool, not cool, not cool at all."

"Well, he has the slang to a T," Gabriella said. "What if he's telling the truth, Ry?"

"He's not," Ryan said. "It's just too weird. Too far-fetched."

"That's why it's probably true," Gabriella said, quietly. "Research shows–"

"Dear God, don't even _think_ statistics," Ryan said. "I beg you."

"Because you _what_?" Maddie insisted again.

"I told you, it's not important," Ryan said. "Don't worry about it. Go on thinking that the world is full of butterflies and rainbows and pots of gold and horseshoes and four leaf clovers and little leprechauns to steal them from. And rabbits with yogurt."

"What are Lucky Charms and Trix," Maddie joked. "I'll take 90's pop culture for 2000, Alex."

"Again, I'm not even going to ask," I said. "But seriously, because you what?"

"If you don't know, I'm not telling you, and that's final!" Ryan said.

"Okay, I'm going to make this easy for you," I said. "We'll play Multiple Choice. Okay, A) you and Gabi were both pissed at me and Sharpay, so you took off for New York to go to college. B) You got into some kind of trouble that you didn't want us to know about, and ran off to New York for "college" which would explain why it took you five years. C) Something else."

"A little bit of all three," Gabriella said. "Mostly A. Not much of B, and kind of C."

"But if he dumped me, and then got pissed, and then I kept the kid, and then the two of you ran off to New York, and then me and Sharpay got together, and you came back and then we had some more kids, and you got even more pissed, and then…" I rambled quietly to myself. All eyes in the room were on me, even those of Chester. I didn't have a conclusion to that statement. "Anyone?"

"Uh, then the two of you got into a big fight again, and stopped talking to each other for good, and somewhere in there Zekepay happened, and then that brings us to present day with a very confused Daddy," Maddie attempted to finish. "Am I close?"

"Maybe," Ryan said, through gritted teeth.

"Almost right on the dot, actually," Gabriella said. "When'd you read an encyclopedia of Troy's life?"

"When I was seven," Maddie repeated. "I had to stand on a ladder to reach it."

**A/N: So…yeah. I have no words. I barely even remember what to write down here. I think I'm supposed to say that I own nothing, and to leave me a review? I haven't posted in months, I know, and I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to find my flash drive that had all the stories on it. I have been writing though! Even ask my mom.**

**xoxo**

**Samantha.**


	5. General Statement

Oh, my gosh, you guys. It has been _so_ long. I cannot believe I've been keeping y'all hanging. Long story short, I made some friends. xP

Anywayy, I'm very sorry to say this, but after 2 years of not updating this story, I'm putting it on general hiatus. This is because! (FANFARE!)

**-**_**IMPORTANT**_**- **** I HAVE A NEW STORY OUT!**** -**_**IMPORTANT**_**-**

It's part of this saga, and you should all read it, because it will explain a lot of garbage that I forget you don't know, because I've been writing every part of this saga at once.

You'll learn all kinds of crap you never wanted to know about like Maddie's conception and how Troy and Ryan broke up. I'll give you a hint: the two events aren't related.

I was typing last night, and I needed a title for my document, and out popped: The Great Beyond. I decided, hey, I've kept my fans waiting long enough. If I still happen to have any left, I'm sure they'll love it.

Anyhoo, I was reading the review for this story, and I remembered how much I missed you all. I guarantee the quality of my writing has only improved with my age, so you should just scamper on over to my new story and read it. And leave me reviews, because otherwise I'm going to be sad. And sad is bad. You can tell because they rhyme.

Love,

Samantha

samlover14

Your humble servant.

PS, it's really hard to write when your computer has a virus that random opens up internet ads every 20 minutes. Just throwing that out there.


	6. Chapter 4: The Truth Comes Out

**A/N: Okay, okay, okay, okay, OKAY. I'll update this. After long and involved process which involved writing three future chapters of TGB, I present whatever chapter number we're on of this story! Enjoy, and all thanks to xBroken-Glassx for letting me know I still had a fan. :P**

* * *

Our trip to Gabriella and Ryan's had been somewhat less than successful, but I had learned some things. After taking Maddie and Jenny shopping for the perfect anniversary present for Sharpay, I dropped Jenny back at my parents, and took Maddie home. Maddie showed me where the stuff for wrapping presents and stuff was kept (for some reason, it was on the third floor, which was a place I'd hardly been, in memory) and I wrapped Sharpay's present(s), which I presented to her after dinner.

"Ohmigod! I love it!" Sharpay said. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic at all. "Here, open yours." She handed me a little box.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Open it!" Sharpay said. I did.

"What is it?" I asked, holding up…whatever it was.

"Okay, so remember how we couldn't get married before because I was, like, pregnant?" Sharpay asked.

"Um, sure," I said. "I mean, not really, but okay." Sharpay looked at me with a weird look on her face. "Just go on."

"Well, we're finally getting married!" Sharpay exclaimed. I had to retain a lot of self control to keep from screaming. "I've picked out the new date and everything! June 15, 2019! And everything's already all ready, so all I had to do was tell you!"

"So what's with…this thing?" I asked, holding up the present again.

"Duh, Troy, don't you remember our thing?" she asked.

"No," I said. "What's our thing?"

"It's a–" Sharpay began, but the house phone rang, interrupting her. When it stopped, it seemed that she had completely forgotten her train of thought. "So, anyway, are you excited?"

"Um, of course," I said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I have no idea," Sharpay said. The butler walked into the room, carrying the phone.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a Mr. Danforth on the phone for Master Troy," the butler said.

"No, that's okay," I said. "I'll take it." He handed me the phone, and left the room. "Hello?"

"Hey, Troy, it's Chad. What's with the butler?" Chad asked.

"I have no idea," I said, stepping into the lounge to have a private conversation on the phone, and almost running into Maddie, who had been eavesdropping. "What's up, Chad?"

"Well, the guys and I–" Chad began.

"Meaning you, me, and Jason?" I asked.

"Um, technically, and Chuckie and Justin and Dylan," Chad continued.

"My brother, Dylan?" I asked.

"Yeah. Who else? We live in one of those perfect worlds where no two people have the same first name," Chad said.

"Okay, what about us?" I asked.

"We're going to Santa Fe this weekend to visit Zeke," Chad said. "And we were wondering if you wanted to come."

"Of course! Ooh, wait. I have kids and stuff," I said, remembering my adult obligations. "And a job, and a…Sharpay."

"Right," Chad said. "So? Never bothered you before."

"I said I'd – isn't that kind of – yeah, sure, I'll come," I said. Maddie cleared her throat. "Uh, if I can bring Maddie."

"Dude, it's kind of a _guys_ excursion," Chad said.

"Do you want me to come to Santa Fe with you guys, or not?" I asked. There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and the muffled sounds of a mini-argument.

"Yes, we want you to come," Chad said. "And you can bring Maddie."

"Where are you right now? And who are you with?" I asked.

"I'm at Jason's," Chad said. "Where else would I be?"

"Oh, I don't know…your house?" I suggested.

"Dude, it's Monday night," Chad said. I looked at Maddie, and she looked back at me and shrugged.

"What happens on Monday nights?" I asked.

"Um, football, duh!" Chad said.

"When have I ever been a football watcher?" I asked.

"When have you not?" Chad countered.

"Whatever. Santa Fe. Zeke. Saturday. I'm there," I said.

"Word," Chad said. Then he hung up. I stared at the phone for a few seconds and successfully found the off button.

"Ha!" I yelled, making Maddie jump. "Oh, sorry. I found the off button by myself."

"Congratulations," Maddie said. "So, where are we going, when, why, and with whom?"

"Um, Santa Fe, this weekend, with the guys, to visit Zeke. And it's top secret, btw. So that means no telling mom," I said. "Or Sharpay, or whatever you want to call her. Capisce?"

"Capisce, Kapash, Kapoosh," Maddie said. I stared. "Yeah, got it. I miss hanging out with Chris anyway."

"Chris?" I asked.

"Zeke's son. You knew about him, right?" Maddie asked.

"Oh. Right, yeah. How old is he now?" I asked.

"I don't know. Like seven," Maddie said. "He's pretty cool."

"When was the last time you hung out with him?" I asked.

"Like, three years ago," Maddie said. "There was this big thing-to-do, and basketball, and something. Anyway, so you took me to it, and Zeke and Chris were there, and Chad and Nick, and Jason, and Chuckie and Justin, and Dylan, and all them."

"Dylan, my brother?" I asked. Maddie nodded. "Since when was _he_ one of the guys?"

"Since he made starting varsity his sophomore year," Maddie said.

"Our dad was the coach," I said. "It's not that much of a surprise."

"Yeah, well, anyway, they inducted him into the group after that," Maddie said. I nodded and was silent for about ten seconds. Then…

"Whoa," I said. "Go back. What's a big thing-to-do?"

"Like a reunion or something. For your team thing. Or something," Maddie said. She was being very descriptive.

"You're being very descriptive," I said. "Who's Nick?"

"Chad's son," Maddie said. "You knew that, right?"

"No," I said. "I'm sure that would have come up. How old is he?"

"Like five, I think. Older than the twins," Maddie said. "Aren't I supposed to be in bed?"

"Probably," I said. "And I just left mom – Sharpay – home with the twins to go to this reunion?" Maddie shrugged.

"I don't remember," she said. "Maybe they weren't born yet. I really should go to bed."

"Yeah, hold on, one more question," I said. "Why don't the guys remember that I'm…you know…gay?" Maddie sighed.

"They do," she said. "They just don't want to. No one ever wanted to believe it."

"But it's true! I mean, why didn't–" I began.

"Because you and Ryan fell apart, the guys took this as a sign that you were…back, in a sense," Maddie said. "You know what I mean?"

"No," I said. "I'm confused."

"Well, you should be," she said. "You're missing a bunch of your life."

"So I am. That makes sense," I said. "And so I really just…gave up guys?" Maddie nodded. "Why would I do that? That's terrible. I don't like girls. Girls are so icky. And of all the girls in the universe, Sharpay? What possessed me to do that?"

"She reminded you of Ryan," Maddie said, softly, looking at the floor. "Or, that's what I think. Most people think it's because you 'fell in love in a time of hardship' or whatever, but you _so_ didn't. I mean, you're not, right?"

"I'm not what?" I asked.

"In love with Sharpay," Maddie said.

"What? No! No, of course not," I said. "Why – how could I possibly – I love Ryan!"

"That's what I thought," Maddie said. "Is that what you and Jason were talking about this morning in your office?" I nodded, and there was a long silence.

"So, that's all?" I asked.

"Yep," she said. "I should really be going to bed."

"Go to bed, Maddie," I said, chuckling.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay," I said. "Now get to bed, or Sharpay'll have both our heads." Maddie skipped out the door leading to the hall, and I sighed. Life was getting more complicated by the minute. As if work wasn't enough, add children and wives and exes and their children and parents and siblings and friends and exes and friends' exes and exes' friends and so on and so forth, etc, etc, etc. I looked up when I heard the door from the dining room into the lounge open and close. "I said go to bed, Maddie."

"What do you mean, you don't love me?" Sharpay asked. _Uh-ohz._

* * *

This was more than not good. This was terrible. Horrendous. As far from fabulous as you could possibly get.

"Um…" I began. There was no right answer to the question. Lie and be called a liar for before, or tell the truth and get bitch-slapped by Sharpay. "Well, see, what I _meant_ was…"

"I know what you meant," Sharpay said, sighing and sitting down beside me on the couch.

"You…do?" I asked, tentatively. I wasn't even sure _I_ knew what I meant.

"Yes," Sharpay said. "I've been giving it some thought since I heard you say that all of two minutes ago, but I mean, you don't love me. You never have, and you never will."

"I won't?" I asked.

"Of course not," Sharpay said. "You're still totally hung up on my _brother_." She said the last word like it was poison.

"I am?" I asked.

"You don't have to deny it. We've all been there. Especially me," she said. "I mean, it took me years to get over you, why shouldn't it take you years to get over Ryan? But, really, that was like nine years ago. So, can you please get over him?" I looked at Sharpay. It would be so much easier if I could just get over him, but I couldn't.

"I can't," I said. "I'm…well, I'm in love with Ryan."

"Still?" Sharpay asked. "Honey, he doesn't want to be with you anymore. He dumped you. Several times."

"There's still a chance," I said.

"A fool's chance, sweetheart," Sharpay said. "Whereas I am right here and ready made for some Troy love."

"Call me a fool," I said, "but Ryan's the only one for me. Ever. Even ask…well…ask Chuckie. He's probably so sick of the name, he's made it some kind of social taboo or something."

"Well, it's not quite that bad," Sharpay said, smiling. "But we had our good times."

"You mean the three kids, or the time we never spend together?" I asked. Sharpay scowled.

"Ryan called while you were out," Sharpay said. "Tried to convince me you're Troy from ten years ago. I told him to shut up. Then Gabriella said the same thing. I believe you, Troy. But it would still be nice if you saw a psychiatrist."

"I don't need to see a psychiatrist," I protested.

"Honey, I think you do. You can go see mine. He's really nice," she said.

"I'll think about it," I said. "How's that?"

"Fabulous," she said. "Okay, so what's this about you taking a secret trip to Santa Fe to see Zeke and Christopher this weekend?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a secret," I said, "but the guys wanted to know if I wanted to go visit him, and I thought it was a great idea."

"That's fine," Sharpay said. "I don't have any say over what you do in your own spare time. Say hi to Chris for me. I miss him a lot, but he means more to Zeke than–"

"I know," I interrupted.

"Okay, so _that_ you know?" Sharpay asked. "I am so confused."

"I can still see the two of you holding hands so sweet, getting ready for homecoming, you were in love. If there's anything you ever wanted in the whole world it was him. I'm just sorry to see it didn't last. How you ever landed me again is beyond me," I said. Sharpay laughed.

"Quite a long story. I guess this means the wedding's off," Sharpay sighed. "We can't very well get married now you're gay again."

"Right," I said. "Um, can I get back to you on that?"

"Um, sure, why?" Sharpay asked, confused.

"Because it is way past my bedtime," I said. "And I'm exhausted."

"Well, you haven't been sleeping well lately," Sharpay said. "Since Saturday morning, I think. Maybe it's virtue of being older."

"Mm," I said. "You tell me in three months when it's your birthday."

"That's Ryan's birthday too," Sharpay reminded me. I nodded and stood up.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "Come on, I have to figure out how to get to work all by myself tomorrow, and I'll need a good night's sleep for that." Sharpay laughed nervously, not really knowing what to say to that. We walked up the stairs to our bedroom and got ready for bed (i.e. toothbrushes, toilets, and pajamas).

* * *

Within thirty minutes of turning the lights off, I was asleep. I had weird dreams though. Not necessarily bad dreams, just weird dreams. They were slightly reminiscent of the ones I used to have when I was younger, where there was some kind of struggle, and a very angry Sharpay. Then, I had to make a very big decision. In the past when I had had the dreams, I had always chosen door number two. I decided to do something different this time. I picked up my chair and threw it at Regis Philbin, who did not seem to appreciate it at all. I raced down onto the stage area to see what was behind the doors, but Regis had called security and there was an alarm going off…and I woke up.

I slapped the stupid alarm off and got out of bed. I was never going to see what was behind the doors. And if for some reason I did, and they all turned out to be brand new cars, some neurons in my head were going to get yelled at. After getting dressed and stuff for work, I went downstairs to breakfast, where Sharpay and Maddie were.

"Good morning," I yawned. Maddie waved and continued picking through her Toaster Strudel. "School today?" She nodded. "That sucks. Good morning, Sharpay."

"Mm," Sharpay said, taking a drink of her coffee and continuing to read the newspaper she was holding. I took the box of Toaster Strudel and began cooking some. Then, Sharpay made a very loud noise.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," Sharpay said. "Auditions for RENT are on Monday evening."

"Oh," I said. I still hadn't decided if I was going to audition or not.

"You should audition," Maddie said. I sighed, and took my Strudel out of the toaster. "Come on, you know you want to."

"I might as well," I said. "I don't have anything better to do with my life, besides watching football with the guys."

"Ick," Maddie and Sharpay commented at the same time, making me laugh.

"I know, right?" I said. "I have never gotten the appeal of football. It's like a whole bunch of guys running around a field trying to get a ball a certain amount of yards before the other team kills them, and they have four tries to do it. And they're not even that cute." Maddie giggled.

"Oh, is _that_ what football is about?" Sharpay asked. "I never got it."

"Yeah, I think. I've only ever watched Homecoming games, because it's my job as Troy Bolton, but that's what I've gathered," I said. Maddie and Sharpay laughed. "I'm serious. Just because I'm Troy Bolton, I'm expected to do all these things, like marry the pretty blond girl and have seventeen kids, and be a professional basketball player– Hey, wait, why am I not a professional basketball player, like in the NBA or something?" Maddie and Sharpay exchanged glances.

"Why do I not have my own TV show?" Sharpay countered. "It's the same answer."

"Not good enough?" I asked. I had to duck very quickly to avoid Sharpay's swinging newspaper. "No, that's not it. Um, we have kids?"

"Ding, ding, ding, ding! Correct answer. Johnny, tell our contestant what he's won," Sharpay said.

"You've won…a brand new car!" came a voice from nowhere, and I looked around to see Jason.

"Props, dude, that was amazing timing," I said, pounding fists with him. "Why are you here?"

"It's Tuesday," Jason said in some kind of explanation.

"And…?" I prompted.

"Well, Chuckie's in Ireland, and usually he comes over on Tuesdays, but he's in Ireland, so I figured I'd come over," Jason said.

"It's gotta be, like, seven-thirty," I said. "Don't I not have to be at work until nine?"

"That made no sense whatsoever," Jason said, sitting down at the table and helping himself to some Toaster Strudel. "And it's, like, eight fifteen." I looked around for a clock, finally looking at my wrist, where, to my confusion, there was a watch, and the time was eight seventeen. Why I was still wearing the watch, I had no idea, because I didn't need a watch. I actually took it off at stowed it in a drawer under the dining room table.

"Why aren't you at school?" I asked Maddie.

"School doesn't start til quarter of nine now," Sharpay said. "They moved it up so kids could get more sleep. You know, like they always said they were going to, but never did."

"Oh, right," I said. Jason stared, but dropped it. "Anyway, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well, if it's alright with you, we're going to scout b-ball players," Jason said. "You know, like they pay us to do."

"Sounds like a good idea. I like money," I said.

"I like money too!" Sharpay said. All three humans (and four of the blue aliens) ((Ryan go away!)) (But…) in the dining room stared at Sharpay. She didn't notice. "And I have a lot of it, too."

"We know," Jason said. "Anyhoo, so, as soon as you're done with breakfast, we'll head out."

"Do I really get a brand new car?" I asked.

"No," Jason said. "That is not on the agenda."

"Damn," I said. Maddie laughed, and left the dining room to gather her stuff for school. I heard her call good-bye and slam the front door. "She's taking the bus?"

"Yeah, why not?" Sharpay asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I just kind of figured with all the Evans clout around here there'd be something a little more classy. Like…a limo. Or at least a personal driver."

"We have one of those," Sharpay said. "But he's been on vacation for a while. He might have gotten lost in the Bahamas. Who knows." Only Evanses can care so little about things like that.

* * *

Scouting for basketball players took most of the morning. When we deemed ourselves finished, we went out to lunch at Applebee's. Because Applebee's rocks. Then, Jason dropped me off at the Evans' Mansion, otherwise known as my house. I walked up the steps as he drove off, Sharpay was pacing the entryway waiting for me, staring at the expensive carpeting.

"Um, Shar, are you okay?" I asked. She looked up at me, and I closed the front door. She took a deep breath.

"Don't freak out, and please don't be mad," Sharpay said. I stared at her, but she didn't go on.

"Okay, I promise," I said. We moved into the living room and sat down on one of the couches. "Go on."

"I think I might be pregnant," she said. Freeze take. Ultimate freeze take. More ultimate than David Schwimmer on Friends. "Troy, say something."

"Why do women always say that they _think_ they _might_ be pregnant?" I asked. "Is that like the one thing that women are told to say when they've taken a test and it's positive?"

"Uh…I guess so," Sharpay said. She took a test out of her pocket and handed it to me to examine it. "I have an appointment with the doctor's office tomorrow to make sure it's right." I nodded, and dropped the test onto the table, suddenly remembering what a pregnancy test was from health class.

"Is it…mine?" I asked. The dreaded question. The one every guy dreads asking.

"Yeah," said Sharpay. "Whose else could it be?" I shrugged. We sat silence for a while.

"I think I'm too young for this," I said. Sharpay scooted over next to me and felt my forehead.

"Are you okay? You don't feel too good," Sharpay said. "Troy? Troy? Troy?" Her voice was getting farther and farther away.

* * *

_A movie started playing as I watched from a distance as it played in fast forward. This was the Evans' living room in party mode._

_Ryan and I entered the front door, arms around each others' waists. We went to the bar, had a few drinks (okay a _lot_ of drinks). Then we met up with Chad, Zeke, Jason, Chuckie, and Justin, and disappeared into the dining room. Taylor, Gabriella, Sharpay, and Kelsi followed us soon after, and then the eleven of us minus Chuckie and Gabriella emerged from the door to the hallway._

_Ryan and I walked over to one of the couches. Stumbled was a more correct term. Ryan got pulled by Sharpay off to the dance floor to dance some stupid dance, and Gabriella took his vacated space. Before Ryan came back, she and I had left the living room into the hall. Time slowed down to normal speed as we entered the St. Patrick's Room._

"_You remember what happened on your 17__th__ birthday?" Gabriella asked._

"_Well, I had my first shot of Vodka," I said._

"_No, I meant the other thing," Gabriella said, getting rather seductively close to me. I laughed and pushed her away._

"_I'm with Ryan now," I said. "You're not getting me to do that. _Not_ that we ever did before."_

"_Oh, come on," Gabriella said. I laughed and tried to do…something…but I fell over during the attempt. Gabriella laughed and pulled me to my feet. I laughed some more. Evidently, it hadn't hurt at all. "You know you want to."_

"_No, I don't," I said. "It's a bad idea and I'm against it." My speech was kind of slurred from all the alcohol. Gabriella unearthed some kind of alcohol from…wherever she was keeping it._

"_I am going to drink this," she said. I shrugged._

"_Go ahead," I said. "But I am totally gay. And committed. I think. What's today?"_

"_The Saturday before your 18__th__ birthday," Gabriella said, before taking a drink of whatever it was._

"_So that means it must be near midnight," I surmised. "I should probably find Ry…Ryan." I hiccupped. Then I giggled. "Ha ha, I just hiccupped." Gabriella didn't find it as hilarious as my drunk self did. My sober self wondered if I always looked and sounded so dumb when I was drunk._

"_It's not that funny," Gabriella said. "Let's go find your stupid boyfriend." She sighed, before pecking me on the cheek and providing a support for me as we went back down the hall and up the stairs to Ryan's bedroom. The bedroom was devoid of humans (but there were 3 or 4 greenish aliens) ((Ryan, I said go AWAY. I'm trying to write here)) (but I miss you) ((I'll be upstairs in a little bit)) (okay!), but it looked like I had been living there for several days at the very least. "So, you and Ryan, huh?" I nodded and hiccupped again. Then I giggled again._

"_He's my only one," I said. "I love him. So…so so much."_

"_That's cute," Gabriella said. "What about me, though? I thought I was your only one" I shrugged. "Why'd you give me this?" She pulled a necklace that looked shockingly familiar out of her shirt. It was the T necklace I'd given her. She was still wearing it. I shrugged again. "That's not good enough, Troy." I shrugged a third time._

"_I love you too," I said to her, holding out my arms to hug her, but falling back onto the bed. She drank the rest of her drink, and crawled up beside me and into my arms. "Mmm." She cuddled into me._

"_Just like old times," she said. I giggled again._

"_Ry…Ryan's gonna be mad if he finds us here," I said. "Should…find him."_

"_You can't even make coherent sentences," Gabriella said.  
_

"_Yes, I can't," I protested. "I mean…you know."_

"_You are so wasted," she said, sighing._

"_I know," I giggled. "Tomorrow's gonna suck."_

"_So why not doing something to make it suck less?" Gabriella asked, playing with my hair._

"_Ryan would know," I said. "He'd…get mad."_

"_It's not like you got mad when he slept with me," she said._

"_That was…way different," I said._

"_Not really," she said. "Come on." She threw one of her arms around my waist and rolled me over to look at her._

"_No," I said, making an attempt to push her away that failed abysmally. "No! Gabriella, stop it!" She just continued to make up reasons for doing it until I gave in. "Okay, but just this once. And Ryan doesn't find out." Gabriella grinned and hopped out of bed, locking the door to the hall, and the one to the bathroom adjoining with Sharpay's room. Then she pulled the curtains. "We keep the condoms in that drawer," I said, pointing wildly around the room._

"_I know," Gabriella said. Still, after opening three drawers, she couldn't find them. She hit jackpot on the fourth and threw one to me. I put it down on the bed and took my shirt off clumsily, getting it stuck on my head. Gabriella laughed and helped me off with it._

* * *

"Troy? Troy. Troy!" Sharpay wasn't the only one sitting with me in the living room. Gabriella was there too. I blinked and looked at them both.

"What happened?" I croaked. Gabriella handed me a glass of water, which I took graciously.

"You blacked out for a bit," Sharpay said. I thought about that.

"Okay," I said. "I was…um, can I talk to Gabriella alone?" Sharpay nodded, picked up her pregnancy test, and went upstairs to check on the twins.

"What happened to you?" Gabriella asked. "Why do you want to talk?"

"I had a flashback, I guess," I said. "To my 18th birthday party." Gabriella's face went from smile to frown very quickly.

"Oh," was all she could come up with to say.

"Fortunately, that's not what I want to talk about," I said. It seemed like Gabriella was happy I didn't want to talk about it.

"Then what do you want to–" Gabriella began. I looked both ways to make sure no one was around.

"You never had sex with Ryan!" I hissed. Gabriella looked shocked.

"What?" she said. I gave her a look, and she stopped pretending to be outraged, and looked more curious. "How'd you find out?"

"Not important," I said. "More important: Why did you let everyone else think you did? Especially Ryan?"

"I-I never told him we did. He just assumed," she said. "And so did you and the rest of the Wildcats. I really wasn't planning on doing anything. I only wanted to make you jealous."

"Well, you did a great job of it," I said. "But then, after every one assumed, and started saying mean things about you, why didn't you tell them?"

"It was too late then," she said. "The damage was done, even by the next morning. How'd you find out?"

"We were in Ryan's bedroom, getting ready to have sex, which, by the way, is totally twisted, and you couldn't find the condoms!" I said. "It's not something I would have noticed, given how drunk I was, but…"

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Gabriella said. "I mean, I know what I did was wrong, but in my defense, that means you were my first."

"How is that a defense?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I'm not a lawyer," she said. "Yet."

"Oh. I have a great joke. How do you get a psyche major off your porch?" I asked.

"I don't know," Gabriella replied.

"Pay him for the pizza!" I exclaimed. Gabriella stared. "Okay, that wasn't as funny as I remember it being. And completely off-topic. Still, though, what does it matter if I was your first?"

"Because you always remember your first," Gabriella said. I thought about that.

"If I'm not completely blanking on something, you were the first _girl_ I had sex with," I said. "But according to some people, your first isn't nearly as important as your last."

"Well, let's see, that's Drew, for me," she said. "As of now."

"Sharpay," I said. "Evidently. Cuz, you know, she's pregnant and stuff."

"Yeah, that's what she said," Gabriella said. "That pretty much sucks. This is gonna be your fourth kid. Can you believe it?"

"Nope," I said. "I can't believe I even slept with her in the first place."

"I'm sure that's a compliment," Gabriella said, laughing. "She'd appreciate that a lot."

"Gabi, can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure. Why not?" she replied.

"Is it still ethical to want to get back together with Ryan, even though Sharpay's pregnant?" I asked. Gabriella thought about it.

"Well, I mean, you're totally gay and in love with Ryan," Gabriella began, "so, ethical in that sense, I guess. But, she is pregnant with your kid."

"But it's not like I'd be abandoning her, or Maddie and Ashley and Zac," I said. "And that's even _if_ he'd agree to take me back."

"Which is extremely doubtful," Gabriella finished. "I mean, I've been with him for these last nine or however long it's been years. He's done so well on his own."

"He wasn't totally on his own," I reminded her. "He had you with him."

"Yeah," she said. "I guess."

"Okay, so back to Sharpay," I said. "It's not like I'd be leaving her on her own either."

"How do you mean?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, I'd still be here. And Ryan if he'll stay, you know what I mean? They're my kids, so I have a responsibility to take care of them," I said. "And, um…yeah." There was another part to the plan, but it wasn't final yet, so I didn't want to say anything about it. She suspected there was something else going on, but didn't press it. There was a slight pause, while we both cast around for conversation topics. "So…why are you here?" I asked.

"Um, well…" Gabriella began. I raised an eyebrow. She cleared her throat and looked at the ground.

"He's here, isn't he?" I asked. Gabriella nodded. "Where?"

"Upstairs," she said. "With Ashley and Zac. And Sharpay. And–"

"Well, speak of the devil," I said. Sharpay and Ryan walked in from the door leading to the hall that led to the kids' bedrooms upstairs, and across the living room to the door leading to the hall that led to my and Sharpay's bedroom upstairs. The two portions of the upstairs don't connect from the upstairs thereby effectively separating Sharpay and Ryan's childhood rooms from that of their parents. "Not going to say hi?"

"Hi," Ryan mumbled.

"Well, it doesn't look _great_," I said, turning back to Gabriella. "But I've accomplished more difficult things before."

"Like…?" Gabriella prompted.

"I once took apart a toaster oven with a simple household screwdriver," I said.

"Bet your parents loved that," Gabriella said.

"Well, it wasn't their toaster oven," I said. "But Mrs. Brown sure wasn't happy."

"Oh," Gabriella said. "Oh, I think I've heard this story." I rolled my eyes.

"So what brings the resident adult twins through my living room, well, actually _their_ living room, on such a wonderful Tuesday afternoon such as this?" I asked Ryan and Sharpay. "It is afternoon, isn't it?" I added to Gabriella, who nodded. I turned my attention back to the twins, who were obviously using their "twin thing" to decide on an answer.

"We're…rehearsing for auditions," Sharpay said.

"Well, last time _I_ checked, Angel and Maureen didn't have a lot of scenes together," I said. Both of their jaws dropped, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. "What?"

"Two things," Ryan said. "No, actually, three. First off, how do you know that?" I shrugged. "Second, how did you know our dream roles?"

"I actually have an answer to that one," I interjected.

"And lastly, get out of my head! It wasn't funny in high school, and it still isn't funny now," Ryan said, before whipping around and pulling Sharpay through the door to the hall.

"See, my job's half done," I said. Gabriella laughed.

"It is _not_," she said.

"Oh, come on, he _so_ wants me again," I said. "Step Two, get a part in RENT. You _have_ to come with me."

"No. No, no, no. No. Sorry, not happening, I won't," Gabriella said. I pouted.

"Oh, come on, Gabi. As a favor. To me," I said. "You owe me."

"How do I owe you?" she asked.

"I sang with you in Twinkle Towne," I said. "And so now you have to sing with me in RENT."

"But what would I even audition for?" she asked. I thought.

"Mimi," I finally decided. She opened her mouth in outrage.

"Are you implying that I'm a whore?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, you're right. I totally deserve that."

"And as part of your penance, you have to tell Ryan that you didn't take advantage of him or 'steal' his virginity, okay?" I said.

"He knows," she said, quietly. "I told him about 2 weeks afterwards, what really went on that night. I wish I'd told him sooner, though. It would have saved everyone a lot of trouble." I didn't know quite what to say to that. "I should have told you, too."

"Probably," I said. "But it ended up working in your favor, I suppose." There was another slight pause, and then it was like a light bulb had gone on in my head. "Oh my God, I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea," I announced.

"Ooh, what?" Gabriella asked, intrigued.

"I can't tell you," I said. "It's a secret. Sorry. You'll know on Monday." She pouted, but I didn't tell.

"So, Sharpay's really pregnant, huh?" Gabriella asked, finally.

"So it would seem," I said. "She has an appointment tomorrow at the doctor's–"

"To make sure," Gabriella said. "So she said. She asked me to go with her."

"What, are you two like BFF now?" I asked.

"We have our days," she said, rolling her eyes. "I really, really hope she isn't."

"So do I," I said. "I'm not old enough for this."

"She probably is, though," Gabriella said. "You'll get through it."

"With Ryan at my side," I said, cracking a grin.

"What's your plan?" Gabriella whined.

"Nope," I said.

"Fine," she said. "Are you coming over on Saturday? Drewbear is going to be back, and you absolutely have to meet him."

"Ooh," I said, frowning. "I'm going to Santa Fe this weekend."

"What? Why?" Gabriella asked, suddenly angry that I wouldn't meet her boyfriend.

"With the guys and Maddie to see Zeke," I explained. "Oh. It is okay to take Maddie to see Zeke, right?"

"She's not…yeah, it's fine," Gabriella said.

"Hey, question. Well, actually, a whole bunch of them. If it's alright with you," I inquired.

"Sure," she asked. "Go on."

"Why didn't you want to keep Maddie?" I asked.

"Well, I did," Gabriella replied. "At first. But then I talked to my mom, and she told me this story about a single mom in high school that sounded awfully familiar…actually, I think it was a story about her…but anyway, she just wanted better for me that she had for herself. So, then I talked to your parents, which was probably bad, in retrospect, but they wanted me to keep it and get together with you, you know, permanently, which was absolutely out of the question, in my opinion, no offense. So then I pitched the idea of having it and giving it to you and Ryan, which I, personally, thought was genius, because that would make my mom happy, and it would make you and Ryan really happy, because you both always wanted to have kids, but couldn't because of a certain lack of ovaries on both your parts." I laughed. "And, most of all, it would make Ryan realize that the fact that me and you…well, you know…was a positive thing, because he was pretty pissed. But then the system kind of broke down after she was born."

"Because the state wouldn't let two men adopt a baby," I said.

"Exactly," Gabriella said. "Well, that and I pulled a Phoebe."

"A Phoebe?" I asked.

"You know, on Friends, Phoebe has the triplets for her brother, and then she wants to keep one," Gabriella explained. "But she doesn't get to…"

"I know," I said. "I wasn't aware that was an expression. So what happened after that?"

"Nothing," Gabriella said. "So, she's yours."

"So did you give up your parental rights?" I asked.

"I…don't think so, to tell the truth," she answered. "I tried to give them to Ryan, but they wouldn't let me. Actually, I didn't try very hard. I would have if they'd let me, but I didn't try that hard. I liked her and I _so_ wanted to keep her. It might seem like Maddie means nothing to me, but, really, she was everything."

"Then why'd you leave her here and run off to New York with Ryan?" I asked.

"Well, there's the million dollar question," Gabriella said. "In my defense, it was not my idea. And it's not every day that someone comes up to you and says, 'Hey, I gotta get out of here. You wanna come with me to New York?'."

"Great reason," I said. "Do you even have a job?"

"Not really," Gabriella said.

"So, how do you make money?" I asked.

"Ryan and I have basically been living off the Evans wealth for the last eight years," she explained. "Do you know how much they're worth?"

"Yes, I do," I said. "But, unlike you, I don't care."

"Hey, that's not the only reason I left! You were pissing me right the fuck off, too!" she said, indignantly.

"Oh, yeah? Like how?" I asked. Gabriella stopped talking immediately, and looked around the room for inspiration. "The truth, Gabs."

"You were…" she began, but then stopped to make sure no one was around. The coast was clear. "I walked in one day on you…doing…stuff…with…"

"With who?" I asked, very interested. "It couldn't be worse than Sharpay, could it?" Gabriella nodded. "Well who?"

"Chuckie," Gabriella whispered so quietly it was basically inaudible.

"I _WHAT_?" I exploded.

"Shh!" Gabriella said.

"I what?" I whisper-yelled. Gabriella nodded. "While I was going out with Ryan and he was still dating Justin?" She nodded again. "I don't believe that."

"Believe it," she said. "It's true. Then, when I talked to you about it, you said something about familiarity or temptation or something like that. And you wouldn't even tell Ryan."

"Well," I said, thoroughly exasperated with myself.

"Exactly," Gabriella said. "That's what I said."

"But did you tell him?" I asked.

"I should have. But I didn't," she said. "But it was just that once. You stopped after we left. Or so I hear. But…"

"What?" I asked. "What did I do?"

"Oh, Troy!" Gabriella cried, collapsing onto my shoulder. "How do you _think_ you could have been in a relationship with Sharpay?" She sobbed on my shoulder, and I tried my best to console her.

"I didn't exactly think about it, I guess," I said. "But this is news to me. Me and Chuckie? Fooling around? Now?"

"Yeah," Gabriella said. "I guess it would be. It's not your fault. Oh, look at me, I'm getting your shirt all wet with my tears."

"I'm used to it," I tried to joke. "The girls just falling off of me, crying on my shoulder…it pretty much comes with the territory."

"How can you be so strong?" Gabriella asked.

"Odd question, all of a sudden," I said.

"No, seriously. How have you possibly not cracked under all this drama yet?" Gabriella asked, sitting up and staring at me.

"It's hard," I said. "But I have my girls. And they'll get me through it." There was a pause where Gabriella collapsed on my shoulder again, this time not crying. "So tell me more about the scandal of the century."

"No," Gabriella said. "Come on, what if one of _them_ hears us?"

"They don't know?" I asked. Gabriella shook her head. "So, who does know?"

"Me," Gabriella said. "And you, now. Chad, I think? And well…"

"Chuckie," I concluded. "I am very angry with him at the moment."

"You should be," Gabriella said. "He's been cheating on Justin this whole time, too."

"And I just feel worse about myself," I said.

"You should," Gabriella said. I frowned at her. "Well, it kind of is your fault. Even if it's not the real you. You know what I mean."

"Yeah," I said. The front door opened and Gabriella and I both turned around to see our daughter (_our_ daughter. I like that) walk through the door, throw her coat at the wall, and slam her bag on the ground. "Bad day at school, Maddie?" I asked.

"The absolute worst. I _hate_ the third grade!" Maddie exclaimed. Sharpay came rushing through the door from the hall, Ryan right behind her. "And you guys! Jeez." Maddie stormed through the opposite door to the stairs that led to her room. Sharpay and Ryan looked at me and Gabriella, and all four of us shrugged.

"She hates the third grade," I said. "That's all I got."

"It's those stupid bullies," Ryan said. "She's been complaining about them for weeks. Maybe someone should tell her to punch their lights out." Ryan turned back around to go back to the rehearsal room (presumably), but Sharpay stopped him.

"Ryan, quit the feuding already," Sharpay said. "I'm sick of it. It was your stupid choice in the first place."

"Okay, not to open old wounds, but _no_ it wasn't," Ryan said. "It was _his_ stupid decision! I had nothing to do with it. I just had the sense to leave his cheating ass before I got my heart broken properly."

"Oh, God, I'm so confused," I complained, putting my hands on my head and falling back into the couch. Gabriella took pity on me, and hugged my head. "Thanks, Gabi," I attempted to say, but it came out muffled and sounded like "Fangs Fomphi".

"You're welcome," Gabriella replied.

"Can't believe you understood that," Sharpay said.

"It's an art," Gabriella and Ryan said at the same time. Then, they turned to glare at each other. "Hey, he was mine, first!" they both said in unison. "No, he was mine!" they both exclaimed again.

"Enough!" I shouted, standing up and backing halfway across the room. "I have no idea what's going on, or why you're arguing about it. But, technically, I was Sharpay's before I was either of yours, but this isn't really the time to argue about that. Can someone please stop yelling, and explain this to me? Calmly?" Gabriella and Ryan both started talking at the same time.

"Well, it was her fault! She started it! Her and her stupid slutty bitchy ways! And then it was that stupid basketball stuff, and after that it was Chuckie! If it wasn't one thing, it was another!" Ryan yelled.

"It was his fault! I just wanted to settle what I had to do, and he just called me a stupid slut, and told me it was my own fault I was pregnant! Then he didn't even try to act grateful afterward, and really, none of that other stuff was my fault!" Gabriella yelled at the same time.

"That is NOT calmly!" I roared. "Calmly is defined as in an inside voice." Ryan glared at me, for no particular reason that I could find. "And one at a time, if you don't mind," I added.

"_She_ just couldn't get over the fact that you wanted me and not her!" Ryan argued.

"Well, _he_ just couldn't get over the fact that…" Gabriella began angrily. "…That you actually loved me too," she said softly. "And that you still might have, that night." Ryan looked like he might burst with anger, and looked to me to negate this.

"Ryan, I…" I began. He turned around.

"I have to go," he said, before storming out the door. "Don't wait up, I won't be back." He slammed the front door, and I could see him walk down the front steps.

"We're supposed to rehearse!" Sharpay called after him, but she didn't move from the place she was standing.

"He's going to take the car, isn't he?" Gabriella asked the room at large. "Dammit."

"We'll get you home," I reassured to her. "Or, you can just stay here. Whatever."

"The last time she stayed here–" Sharpay began.

"Honestly, Sharpay, I have bigger problems right now," I said. "I need to use a computer. Where's my computer?" Sharpay and Gabriella looked at each other, both wearing confused faces. "Hello? Girls? Where is my computer?"

"It's down the hall," Sharpay said, snapping out of her reverie and pointing down the hall that led to my and Sharpay's bedroom. "Um…all the way down the hall, turn right, second corridor on the left, and then it's the fourth door on the western side, 47 degrees east of south."

"Have you ever considered giving out tourist maps?" I asked, starting down the hall. Both girls, after sharing another look, started after me. "I don't need help, girls."

"We know," they both said. I followed the very confusing directions to the computer room, and wondered why they were so annoyingly complicated, and why this half of the house was way bigger than the other half. When I got there, I sat down in the computer chair and stared at the computer itself. I wiggled the mouse, and it woke up, which made me brighten up. I stared at the welcome screen. It wanted a password.

"Hmm, password," I said, thinking.

"Need help?" Sharpay asked.

"No, I got it," I said, typing in several letters. I'm not going to tell you what my password was, because I don't want you on my computer. It opened up. "Yay, me." I did an impression of Sharpay, applauding myself (which is also recognizable as London Tipton's trademark clapping from the Suite Life). "I really don't need you two in here." They sat down in two other chairs that happened to be sitting around the room and began conversing in low tones, probably about me, or Ryan, or Maddie, or something else I could really care less about at the time.

I opened my email account, which was the same one I'd had in high school, and I hadn't even changed my password or anything, which was probably dumb of me, but whatever. It made it easy for me to get in. I sorted my emails by author, date, and attachment, and scrolled all the way to the bottom, to see when the first one that Chuckie had sent me with a playlist on it was dated. It was from August 2009. It was a list of me and Ryan's songs. The next one was from October 2009; a list of pretty emo songs. The one after that was from September 2010; a list of really depressing breakup songs. There was a break in correspondence, and the next playlist was dated February 2013; a list of me and his songs. There were several after that, about twice a year, at his birthday, and at mine, always a list of songs that we used to listen to either when we were in high school or before. Some were from after, but none of the songs were written after Maddie had been born. I came to my birthday playlist this year and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Sharpay asked.

"Nothing, as usual," I said, rolling my eyes, and printing a list of the songs on each playlist. "It seems like I've got a project for this afternoon, though, if you wanna help." I grabbed the list of songs several pages long.

"What is that for?" Gabriella asked.

"It's a long story, and we've got a long way back to a room with which to do this in. C'mon," I said. I explained what the list was on our way to the little room near the dining room that had a bunch of couches and a keyboard. It was a favorite room of mine.

"Okay, so we've got to separate each of these songs to figure out why he'd send you them?" Sharpay clarified. "That seems pretty boring."

"Trust me, it's important," I said. Gabriella and Sharpay both rolled their eyes. "I didn't ask for your help."

"No, I want to help," Sharpay said. "But I need a drink. Coffee, anyone?"

"Can I get a Pepsi?" I asked. Sharpay nodded and left the room.

"And the actual purpose of this is?" Gabriella prompted.

"So that I don't have to kill him," I said. "Let's get doing this."

"Him being Chuckie?" Gabriella clarified.

"Duh," I said, laying out the several pieces of paper on the coffee table and sitting on the floor. I took a notebook from the drawer underneath the table, and blew on it. It was really dusty. "I can't believe this is still here."

"What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, if I'm not completely stupid, it's the original notebook that we wrote TruthOut in," I said. I opened it cautiously and sure enough, there was a whole bunch of musical staff paper in the front, with the music for TruthOut. "Check it out." I turned the folder over, and flipped through the several pages of lyrics. "This is so cool. If we were famouser, we could sell this for big bucks. Not that we really need it."

"Not that we really need it," Gabriella repeated. "Now explain to me exactly what we're trying to accomplish."

"I already told you," I said. "Are you going to be helpful, or not?"

"Yes, whatever," Gabriella said. I turned to the second subject in the notebook, and flipped it over.

"Let's tackle this first list first," I said.

"What's it a list of?" Gabriella asked.

"Songs," I said. She gave me a "like duh" face. "I don't know exactly what the songs are. Some of them don't have descriptions. If we decode a few of them, we should be able to title the playlist."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan," Sharpay said, coming back into the room with a coffee, a Pepsi, and a lemonade.

"Are you sure you should be drinking coffee when you're pregnant?" Gabriella asked.

"It's decaf," Sharpay said, "Duh. Can you imagine me drinking caffeinated coffee?"

"Whatever," I said. "Problem at hand, please?"

"Which is?" Sharpay prompted.

"I already told you," I said. We spent the following hour and a half looking through all the songs, and on occasion Sharpay would start singing on, much to Gabriella's and my annoyance.

"Okay, last list," I said. "You're Still the One, All I Ask of You, From This Moment On, When Your Eyes Say It…no idea."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Sharpay said.

"What is?" Gabriella and I asked.

"He remembered," Sharpay said. Gabriella and I continued to look confused. "Our songs. For our wedding."

"Oh, yeah," I said, remembering. "Those are our songs. Oh, and look at the date. It was around the time we were supposed to get married the first time."

"Whatever," Gabriella said. "Well, there's two hours of my life I'll never get back. Can we do something else now?"

"Sure," I said. "Who votes we should go see what's gotten into the kids?"

"Good idea," Sharpay said. "Let's do that." We did. When we were done with that, we heard the front door slam, and a very loud voice yell "Troy!".

"That would be Ryan," I said to Maddie and Gabriella. "Gotta go."

"Can I come?" Maddie asked. Gabriella and I exchanged looks.

"No, not such a good idea," Gabriella said. "C'mon Troy, let's go." We evacuated Maddie's room, and ran down the stairs to the living room, almost running into Sharpay who was also running down.

"Yes?" I asked Ryan when we all arrived in his presence.

"I don't like you," Ryan said. "But your name is easier to yell than Gabriella's."

"I take it you've been at Kelsi's," Gabriella said.

"Yeah," Ryan said. "And then I was just driving around."

"And?" Sharpay asked.

"And nothing," Ryan said.

"So you didn't talk about anything while you were there," Gabriella clarified.

"Oh we did," Ryan said. "And she says I should forgive you for…leading me on or however the hell she put it. Of course, that's her solution to everything. Forgive Gabriella, forgive Gabriella, forgive Gabriella, forgive Troy, leave Troy's cheating ass, forgive Troy, forgive Sharpay, forgive Zeke, forgive Gabriella, forgive Gabriella, forgive Gabriella. Look how well it's done me in the past."

"Quite well," I said. "You look well." Ryan glared at me, and I shrugged innocently. "You'd be surprised how we've been spending the afternoon."

"How?" Ryan asked.

"Coming up with reasons not to kill Chuckie," Gabriella beat me to it.

"Why are we killing him? How?" Ryan asked. "And can I help?"

"Because he's a complete ass, with some kind of blunt instrument, and no, you can't help, because we're not killing him," I said.

"I thought he was your best friend," Ryan said.

"No, Chad is my best friend. Or maybe it's Jason. I don't know, okay? Maybe it's Gabriella," I said.

"I get to be your best friend?" Gabriella asked. "Fantastilistic!" (Lol.)

"Whatever," I said. "So are you forgiving Gabriella, or not?"

"Well, considering that's not what I even went over there to talk about, yes," Ryan said. "I am, in fact, although it's none of your business."

"What'd you go over to talk about?" Sharpay asked. Ryan looked at her. "Oh, right, _that_."

"Right," Ryan said. "And she apologized for that, and then Jason came in blabbering on about the price of a good turkeyburger these days, and I left. I take it you went to Applebee's for lunch?"

"Yeah," I said. "I didn't think the prices were unreasonable."

"You haven't lived the last ten years," Ryan said. "Anyway, then I was driving around, and I remembered I stranded you here. So, you want to come home, or not?" He looked at Gabriella for an answer.

"Uh, no thanks," Gabriella said. "I think I'll stay here. I have to go with Sharpay to the hospital tomorrow. Fun times."

"We've had so many fun times at that damn hospital," Sharpay said. "The least of which was the birth of our collective four children."

"Tell me about it," Gabriella said. "And that one time Taylor was in the hospital."

"Yeah, and then," Sharpay said. "And when Christopher had that…whatever it was that one time."

"Yeah, and of course, when Kelsi had that pregnancy scare," Gabriella said. I looked at Ryan, losing interest with the conversation. He gave me his trademark "make it stop" face, and I smirked. Things would be back to normal before he knew it.

"Things will _not_ be back to 'normal' or even your twisted version of it before I know it," he whispered icily in my ear. "Because, believe it or not, I _can_ live without you."

"I know that," I said. "And get out of my head. It wasn't funny before, it's not funny now," I mocked. He gave me a face, and folded his arms across his chest.

* * *

**A/N: Weeeeeeell. I don't like this chapter. I didn't like it when I wrote it, and I still don't like it now, but there's no way around it. These things have to happen.**

**The middle doesn't flow as well as it used to, but that's because originally I had Ryan not knowing about his night with Gabriella, but I changed that. Four years of revisions and this is what we come to.**

**Don't own anything blah blah thanks for reading blah blah leave me a review (hearts)**

**Thanks.**

**Samantha.**


End file.
